Pawan Kalyan's wife Anna prays at Tirumala, donates Rs 17 lakh to temple
Andhra DyCM's wife, Anna Lezhneva, donates Rs 17 lakh for annadanam at Tirumala, serves food to devotees, fulfils vow after son's recovery from fire accident
Anna Lezhneva, wife of Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and actor Pawan Kalyan, offered heartfelt prayers at the Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirumala on Monday (April 14).
Her visit came in the wake of her son Mark Shankar’s recovery from a fire accident in Singapore.
Offer of hair
She arrived at Tirumala on Sunday night and fulfilled a religious vow by getting tonsured — a traditional offering of gratitude.
On Monday morning, Anna Lezhneva visited the sacred Tirumala temple and took part in the Srivari Suprabhata Seva, an important early morning ritual at the temple.
Upon her arrival at the Vaikuntha Q Complex, she was warmly received by officials of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). She then had the darshan of Lord Venkateswara and offered her prayers.
Also Read: Pawan Kalyan’s wife fulfils vow, gets tonsured at Tirumala
Following the darshan, she received 'Tirtha Prasad' from the priests and moved on to the Akhilandam area, opposite the temple, where she performed traditional rituals such as breaking coconuts, offering camphor aarti, and had a darshan of Lord Anjaneya Swamy.
Generous donation
As a gesture of gratitude for her son’s recovery, Anna donated Rs 17 lakh to the Sri Venkateswara Annaprasadam Trust.
The donation was made in the name of her son Mark Shankar and is intended to fund one day's lunch expenses for visiting devotees under the temple’s Nitya Annadanam initiative.
Senior TTD officials, including Additional EO Sri Venkaiah Chowdhary, also participated in the event. Anna was also seen serving food at the Vengamamba food distribution centre in Tarigonda and later dined with other devotees.
Also Read: Pawan Kalyan’s son injured in Singapore school fire
Emotional backdrop
Anna’s visit follows an emotionally charged week for the family. Seven-year-old Mark Shankar sustained minor burns and breathing issues due to smoke inhalation during a fire mishap at his summer camp in Singapore on April 8.
Pawan Kalyan, who was on a political tour, immediately rushed to Singapore. The family returned to Hyderabad on April 12 after Mark’s treatment. The next day, Anna proceeded to Tirumala to fulfill her vows.
In accordance with the temple norms, Anna Lezhneva, a Russian citizen, signed a declaration of faith, customary for devotees from non-Hindu backgrounds, before participating in temple rituals.