Travel Temple Miracles: Venkateswara Temple

The Temple is constructed in South Indian architecture and is believed to be constructed over a period starting from 300 CE. The Garbhagruha (Sanctum Sanctorum) is called Ananda Nilayam. The presiding deity, Venkateswara, is in a standing posture and faces east in Garbha Gruha. The temple follows the Vaikhanasa Agama tradition of worship. The temple is one of the eight Vishnu Swayambhu Kshetras and is listed as the 75th Divya Desam. The Temple premises have two modern Queue complex buildings to manage the pilgrim crowd, Tarigonda Vengamamba Annaprasadam complex for free meals to Pilgrims, hair tonsure buildings and several pilgrim lodging sites. It is one of the richest temples in the world in terms of donations received and wealth. There are several legends associated with the manifestation of the Lord in Tirumala. According to one legend, the temple has a murti of Venkateswara, it is believed, which shall remain here for the entire duration of the present Kali Yuga.

Temple Legend

During Dvapara Yuga, Adisesha resided on earth as Seshachalam Hills after losing a contest with Vayu. According to Puranas, Tirumala is regarded as Adivaraha Kshetra. After killing Hiranyaksha, Adivaraha resided on this hill. Venkatachala Mahatyam is the widely accepted legend over Tirumala Temple.

During Kali Yuga, Narada advised some

sages who were performing yagna to

decide who could be given the fruits of

yagna among Trimurtis (Brahma , Vishnu

and Shiva). Bhrigu was sent to test the Trinity. The sage who had an extra eye in

the sole of his foot visited Brahma and

Shiva went unnoticed in both of these

locations. He cursed Brahma to be not

worshipped and Shiva to be worshipped as

a lingam. At last, he visited Vishnu and the

lord acts as if he had not noticed Bhrigu.

Getting angered by this act, sage Bhrigu

kicked Vishnu in the chest, to which

Vishnu did not react and instead

apologised to the Sage by massaging his

feet. During this act, he squashed the extra

the eye that was present in the sole of Bhrigu's

foot. However, Lakshmi finds it an insult

since Vishnu's chest was considered as

Lakshmi's residence ( vakshasthala) and

Bhrigu kicked it which indirectly insulted

Lakshmi. She then left Vaikuntha and

came to Earth to Kolhapur and started

meditating.[14]

Vishnu bore human form as Srinivasa, left

Vaikuntha, in search of Lakshmi, reached

the Seshachalam hills in Tirumala and

started meditating. Lakshmi learned of the

condition of Srinivasa and called Shiva and

Brahma. Shiva and Brahma then converted

themselves into Cow and Calf and

Lakshmi had handed over the cow and calf

to Chola king ruling over Tirumala Hills at

that time. The Cow would provide milk to

Srinivasa daily while it was taken for

grazing. One day, a cowherd saw this and

tried to beat the Cow with his staff but

Srinivasa had borne the injury. Getting

angered by this Srinivasa cursed the

Chola king to become a Demon as dharma

says sins committed by servants ( shudras)

should be borne by Kings. The king prayed

for mercy after which Srinivasa said to

him, that the King should take the next birth as

Akasharaja should perform a marriage

of his daughter, Padmavati with

Srinivasa.

Srinivasa went to his foster-mother Vakula

Devi on Tirumala hills and stayed there for

a while. After the curse, the Chola king took

rebirth as Akasharaja and he had a

a daughter named Padmavati, who was born

in the Padmapushkarini situated at

present-day Tiruchanur in Andhra Pradesh.

Srinivasa married Padmavati at present

day Narayanavanam in Andhra Pradesh

and returned to Tirumala Hills. After few

months, Goddess Lakshmi had discovered

the marriage of Srinivasa with Padamavati

and went to Tirumala hills to question

Srinivasa. Srinivasa, unable to bear the

the quarrel between Lakshmi and Padmavati,

turned into stone right when he was

encountered by Lakshmi and Padmavathi.

Brahma and Shiva appeared before the

confused queens and explain the main

the purpose behind all this - The Lord's desire

to be on the seven hills for the

emancipation of mankind from the

perpetual troubles of Kali Yuga.

Goddesses Lakshmi and Padmavathi also

turn into stone deities expressing their

wish to be always there. Lakshmi stays

with Him on His Chest on the left side

while Padmavathi rests on His Chest

right side.

History of the temple

Medieval history

The first recorded endowment was made

by Pallava queen Samavai in the year 966

CE. She donated many jewels and two

parcels of land (one 10 acres and the other 13

acres) and ordered to use the revenues

generated from that land for the

celebration of major festivals in the

Temple. The Pallava dynasty (9th

century), the Chola dynasty (10th century), and Vijayanagara pradhans (14th and 15th

centuries) were committed devotees of

Venkateswara. The temple gained most of

its current wealth and size under the

Vijayanagara Empire, present-day

Karnataka state, with the donation of

diamonds and gold. In the 16th century,

Vijayanagara Emperor Krishnadevaraya

was a frequent donor and visitor to the

Temple. His donations of gold and jewels

enabled the Ananda Nilayam (inner shrine)

roofing to be gilded. On 2 January 1517,

Krishnadevaraya installed his statue

in the temple.

After the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire,

rulers from states such as the Kingdom of

Mysore and the Gadwal Samsthanam

worshipped as pilgrims and donated

ornaments and valuables to the temple.

Maratha general Raghoji I Bhonsle (died

1755) visited the temple and set up a

permanent administration for the conduct

of worship in the temple. Between 1320

CE and 1369 CE, idols of

Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam

were brought to this temple for safe

keeping.

Ramanujacharya's visits

In the 11th and 12th centuries,

Ramanujacharya visited Tirupati thrice. On the first occasion, he spent a year with his

uncle, Tirumalai Nambi, learning the

the esoteric meaning of Ramayana. His

the second visit was for settling a dispute that

arose between the Saivites and

Vaishnavites regarding the nature of the image set up in the Tirumala temple.

During the last visit, which was at an

the advanced old age of 102 years, the

acharya installed the image of Govindaraja

and laid the foundations of the present

town of Tirupati. Ramanuja streamlined

the rituals at Tirumala temple according to

Vaikanasa Agama tradition and introduced

the recitation of Naalayira Divya

Prabandham. He also set up Tirupati

Jeeyar Mutt in 1119 AD in consultation

with Tirumalai Ananthalwan to

institutionalize service to the Lord and

supervise the temple rituals. The Jeeyars

to this day ensures that the rituals

ordained by Ramanuja are

observed.

Modern history

Swami Pushkarni of Tirumala

After the end of the Vijayanagara Empire, the temple went into the hands of Golconda in

July 1656 and then it was under the

French for a short period and

under Nawab of Carnatic till 1801 CE. With the advent of the British during the early 19th

century, the management of the temple

passed to the hands of East India Company,

who accorded special status to temple

and avoided interference in the temple

activities. Madras government passed

Regulation seven of 1817, which passed

the temple to the Board of Revenue through

collector of North Arcot District. In

1821, Mr Bruce, the then East India

company commissioner for Chittoor

the district had drawn rules for the

management of Temple which is referred

to as Bruce's Code. The 7th Nizam of

Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan donated

₹8,000 to the temple.

In 1843, the East India Company

transferred the Administration of Temple

along with other Temples in Tirupati to

Mahants of Hathiramji Muth, who acted as Vicaranakartas. It was under the rule of

Mahants for six generations until 1933

when Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams

was formed as a result of the TTD Act in

1933. The Act of 1933 was superseded

by Madras Hindu Religious and Charitable

Endowment Act of 1951. Again in 1966,

the temple was placed under the direct control

of Andhra Pradesh State Endowments

Department, with Andhra Pradesh

Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions

and Endowments act. In 1979, the act of

1966 was rolled back with the new Tirumala

Tirupati Devasthanams act, where the temple

the administration was vested to a committee

consisting of the Executive officer, Chairman

and two other members nominated by

Government of Andhra Pradesh. The

the temple is run by the body of Tirumala Tirupati

Devasthanams (TTD) which is under

control of the Andhra Pradesh Government.

The head of TTD is appointed by Andhra

Pradesh Government. The revenue from

this shrine is used by Andhra Pradesh

government.

The temple bears as many as 640

inscriptions in Kannada, Sanskrit , Tamil,

Telugu languages. There is a unique collection of about 3000 copper plates on

which the Telugu Sankirtanas of Tallapaka

Annamacharya and his descendants are

inscribed. This collection forms a

a valuable source of material for a historical

the linguist in Telugu apart from its

importance to musicologists.

Temple administration

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is the trust board that oversees and

manages the operations of Tirumala

Venkateswara Temple. It is operated by a

Board of Trustees that has increased in

size from five (1951) to eighteen (2015)

through the adoption of Acts. The Daily

operation and management of TTD is the

responsibility of an executive officer, who

is appointed by the Government of Andhra

Pradesh.

The temple attracts approximately 75,000

pilgrims every day.The annual budget,

estimated at INR 2530.10 crores for the

the financial year 2015–16, runs charitable

trusts whose funds are derived from the

budget and donations from the

devotees. The annual income is

estimated at INR 10 billion in 2008. Most

of its income is derived from the

donations in SriVari Hundi. Devotees

donate to the TTD, which runs into millions

of rupees. TTD, the organisation running

the welfare of the temple runs various

charitable trusts, whose funds are derived

from the budget and donations from the

devotees.

Architecture

View of the Facade of the temple

Tirumala temple and Vaikuntam Queue Complex (semicircular building in the foreground) as seen from Srivari Padalu on Narayanagiri hill

Dwarams and Prakarams

There are three Dwarams (entrances)

which lead to Garbhagriha from outside.

Mahadwaram, also known as padikavali, is

the first entrance which is provided

through Mahaprakaram (outer compound

wall). 50 feet, five-storied Gopuram

(Temple tower) is constructed over this

Mahadwaram with seven Kalasams at its

apex. Vendivakili (Silver Entrance), also

known as Nadimipadikavali, is the second

entrance and is provided through

SampangiPrakaram (Inner compound wall).

A three-storied Gopuram is constructed

over Vendivakili with seven Kalasams at

its apex. Bangaruvakili (Golden Entrance)

is the third entrance which leads into

Garbhagriha. There are two tall copper

images of the Dvarapalakas Jaya-Vijaya

on either side of this door. The thick

the wooden door is covered with gold gilt

plates depicting the Dasavathaaram of

Vishnu.

Pradakshinams

Circumambulation around Sanctum

sanctorum in the temple or deities is

called Pradakshinam. There are two

circumambulation paths in the temple. The

The first one is the area between Mahaprakaram

and sampangiprakaram. This path known

as Sampangipradakshinam has many

Mandapas , Dwajasthambam, Balipeetam, Kshetrapalika sila, prasadam distribution

area etc. The Vimanapradakhinam is the

second pradakshinam, which

circumambulatesAnanda Nilayam Vimanam.

This path has sub-shrines dedicated to

Varadaraja and Yoga Narasimha, Potu

(main kitchen), Bangaru Bavi (golden well),

Ankurarpana Mandapam, Yagasala,

Nanala (coins and Notla (Paper notes)

Parkamani, Almyrah of Sandal paste

(Chandanapu ara), the cell of records,

Sannidhi Bhashyakarulu, Lords's hundi and

the seat of Vishvaksena.

Anandanilayam vimanam and

Garbhagriha

Garbhagriha is the Sanctum sanctorum

where the presiding deity Venkateswara

resides along with other small deities.

Golden Entrance leads to Garbhagriha.

There are two more doors in between

Bangaruvakili and Garbhagriha. The deity is

in a standing posture with four hands in

different postures - one in varada postures,

one placed over the thigh and the other two

holding Shanka and Sudarshana Chakra.

The deity is decorated with precious

ornaments. The deity bears Goddess

Lakshmi on the right chest and Goddess

Padmavathi is on the left. Pilgrims are not

allowed to enter the Garbhagriha (beyond

Kulasekharapadi (path).

Ananda Nilayam Vimanam is the main

Gopuram was constructed over Garbhagriha.

This is a three-storied Gopuram and has

single Kalasam at its apex. It is covered

with gilt copper plates and covered with a

golden vase. There are many deities of

gods carved over this Gopuram. On this

Gopuram, there is a deity of Venkateswara

known as "Vimana Venkateswara" which is

believed to be a replica of a deity inside

Garbhagriha.

Deities in the temple

Venkateswara, an avatar of Vishnu is the

the presiding deity of the temple. It is believed that the Moolavirat is Swayambhu (self

manifested).

A r eplica of the Garbhagriha of the V Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala depicting Left - Sridevi and Bhudevi and Malayappa

Swami, Center - Lord Venkateswara Main Deity (Dhruva beam), Center bottom - Bhoga Srinivasa, Right- Ugra Srinivasa,

Koluvu Srinivasa, Sita and Lakshmana and Sri Rama, Sri Krishna, Rukmini

Pancha beams

As per Vaikhanasa Agamas, Venkateswara

is represented by five deities (berams)

including the Moolavirat which are

together referred to as Pancha Baramulla

(Pancha means five; Beram means

Deity). The five deities are Dhruva

Beram (Moolavar), Kautuka Beram,

Snapana Beram, Utsava Beram, Bali

Beram. All the Pancha beams are placed

in the Garbha griha under Ananda Nilayam

Vimanam.

1. Moolavirat or Dhruva Beram- In the

centre of Garbha griha, under the

Ananda Nilayam Vimana, the

Moolavirat of Venkateswara is seen

in standing posture on a lotus base,

with four arms, two holding Shanka

and Chakra and one in Varada

posture and other in Kati posture.

This deity is considered the main

source of energy for the temple and

adorns with the Vaishnavite nama

and jewels including vajra kirigami

(diamond crown), Makarakundalas,

Nagabharana, Makara Kanti,

Saligrama haram, Lakshmi haram.[37]

Venkateswara's consort, Lakshmi

stays on the chest of the Moolavirat

as Vyuha Lakshmi.

2. Bhoga Srinivasa or Kautuka Beram --

This is a small one-foot (0.3 m) silver

the deity which was given to the temple

in 614 AD by the Pallava Queen

Samavai for conducting festivals.

Bhoga Srinivasa is always placed

near the left foot of Moolavirat and is

always connected to the main deity

by a holy Sambandha Kroocha.This

deity receives many daily

saves(pleasures) on behalf of

Moolavar and hence known as Bhoga

Srinivasa(Telugu: Bhoga means

Pleasure). This deity receives

Ekanthaseva daily and

SahasraKalasabhisheka on

Wednesdays.

3. Ugra Srinivasa or Snapana Beram -

This deity represents the fearsome

(Telugu: Ugra means angry) aspect of

Lord Venkateswara. This deity

was the main processional deity until

1330 CE when it was replaced by the

Malayappa Swami deity. Ugra

Srinivasa remains inside the sanctum

sanctorum and comes out on a

procession only one day in a year: on

Kaishika Dwadasi, before the

sunrise. This deity receives

daily abhisheka on behalf of

Moolavirat, giving the name Snapana

Beram(Sanskrit: Snapana means

cleansing)

4. Malayappa Swami or Utsava Beram -

Malayappa is the processional deity

(Utsava beam) of the Temple and is

always flanked by the deities of his

consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi. This deity receives all festivals like

Brahmotsavams, Kalyanotsavam, Dolotsavam, Vasanthotsavam,

Sahasra deepalankarana seva,

Padmavati parinyotsavams,

pushpapallaki, Anivara Asthana,

Ugadi Asthana etc.

5. Koluvu Srinivasa or Bali Beram-

Koluvu Srinivasa represents Bali

Beram. Koluvu Srinivasa is regarded

as the guardian deity of the temple

that presides over its financial and

economic affairs. Daily Koluvu

seva(Telugu: Koluvu means engaged

in) is held in the morning, during

which, the previous day's offerings,

income, expenditures are notified to

this deity, with a presentation of

accounts. Panchanga sravanam also

is held at the same time during which

that particular day Tithi, sunrise and

sunset time, nakshatra are notified to

the Venkateswara.

Other Murtis

Along with Pancha beams, the garbha

griha also hosts the panchaloha deities of

Sita, Rama, Lakshmana, Rukmini,

Krishna, [38] Chakratalvar. The temple hosts

the deities of Garuda (Vishnu's vehicle),

Narasimha, Varadaraja, Kubera, Hanuman

in their respective sub-shrines. The temple

also, host the deities of Shesha (Vishnu's

serpent), Viswaksena, Sugriva, Ramanuja.

Vimana Venkateswara is the replica

icon of Venkateswara carved on the

Ananda Nilayam Viamana's second tier

northwest corner.

Worship

Puja

The temple follows " Vaikhanasa Agama "

the tradition of worship,[41] which is believed

to be revealed by Sage Vikhanasa[42][43]

and is propagated by his disciples Atri,

Bhrigu , Marichi, Kasyapa. [42][44]

Vaikhanasa is one of the principal

traditions of Hinduism and primarily

worships Vishnu (and his associated

Avatars) as the Supreme God. This ancient

texts recommend six times a day puja

(worship) for Vishnu, of which minimum

one puja is mandatory. [45] Rituals are

classified as daily, weekly and periodical.

The daily sevas in Temple (in order of

occurrence) include Suprabhata Seva,

Thomala Seva, Archana, Kalyanotsavam,

Dolotsavam (Unjal Seva), Arjita

Brahmotsavam, Arjita Vasantotsavam,

Sahasra Dipalankarana Seva, Ekanta Seva.

Weekly sevas of the Temple include

Vishesha Pooja on Monday, Ashtabula

Pada Padmaradhana on Tuesday, Sahasra

Kalasabhishekam on Wednesday,

Tiruppavada Seva on Thursday,

Abhishekam and Nijapada Darshanam on

Friday. There are no weekly sevas on

Saturday and Sunday. Periodical rituals

include Jyesthabhishekam, Aaniwara

Asthanam, Pavithrotsavam, Koil Alwar

Tirumanjanam.

Naivedhyam

Laddu offered to Venkateswara at Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala

The world-famous " Tirupati Laddu" is given at Tirumala Temple as prasadam.

Tirupati Laddu had got Geographical

indication tag which entitles only Tirumala

Tirupati Devasthanams to make or sell

it. Many other prasadams are also

offered to Venkateswara and they are

classified as Anna-prasadams and

Panyarams. Annaprasadams include

chakerapongal (sweet), Pulihora (tamarind

rice), miryala pongal, kadambham,

daddojanam (curd rice). Panyarams

include laddu, vada, Dosa, Appam , jalebi,

muruku, poli, payasam .

Free meals are given daily to the pilgrims. On Thursdays,

the Tiruppavada seva is conducted, where

huge quantity of pulihora is offered to

Venkateswara by heaping up into a

pyramidal shape in Tirummani mandapam

(ghanta mandapam).

Darshan

To manage the huge number of Devotees

visiting the temple, Tirumala Tirupati

Devasthanam constructed two Vaikuntam

Queue Complexes: one in the year 1983

and the other in the year 2000. Vaikuntam

Queue complexes have rooms where

Devotees can sit and wait until their turn

for Darshan. According to tradition, it is

important for a devotee to have darshan of

Bhuvaraha Swamy temple lying on the

northern banks of Swami Pushkarini

before having Darshan of Venkateswara in

the main temple.

Recently, the administration introduced a

the separate queue for pedestrian pilgrims.

A free but limited number of biometric

tokens are issued for the pilgrims to

access this special queue. Tokens are

provided on a first-come, first-served

basis. The pilgrims can worship

Venkateswara on the allotted time slots

issued in the token. There are two entry

points for the foot-path pilgrims: Alipiri

Mettu and Srivari Mettu. Alipiri Mettu is

open round the clock, whereas Srivari

Mettu is open from 6 am - 6 pm.

Hair tonsuring

Many devotees have their heads tonsured

as "Mokku", an offering to God. The Daily

amount of hair collected is over a ton. The

hair is collected and sold internationally

creating a substantial profit for the

Temple.As per legend, when

Venkateswara was hit on his head by a

cowherd, a small portion of his scalp

became bald. This was noticed by Neela

Devi, a Gandharva princess. Immediately,

she cut a portion of her hair and, with her

magic implanted it on his scalp.

Venkateswara noticed her sacrifice. As

hair is a beautiful asset the female

form, he promised her that all his devotees

who come to his abode would offer their

hair to him, and she would be the recipient

of all the hair received. Hence, it is

believed that hair offered by the devotees

is accepted by Neela Devi. The hill,

Neeladri, one of the seven hills, is named

after her. Traditionally the barbers

employed to do the tonsuring were male

and from the Nayee caste and this caused

some discrimination and failed to resolve

the requests from women that they would

like a female barber. A protest led by

Kagganapalli Radha Devi overturned the objections and the temple agreed to appoint

women barbers. Devi was recognised by

Andhra Pradesh in 2017 and with an award

of the Nari Shakti Puraskar by the President of India in 2019.

Hundi (donation pot)

As per legend, it is believed that Srinivasa

had to make arrangements for his

wedding. Kubera credited money to

Venkateswara (a form of the god Vishnu)

for his marriage with Padmavathi.

Srinivasa sought a loan of one crore and

11.4 million (11,400,000) coins of gold

from Kubera and had Viswakarma, the

divine architect, create heavenly

surroundings in the Seshadri hills.

Together, Srinivasa and Padmavathi lived

for all eternity while Goddess Lakshmi,

understanding the commitments of

Vishnu chose to live in his heart forever. In

remembrance of this, devotees go to

Tirupati to donate money in

Venkateswara's hundi (donation pot) so

that he can pay it back to Kubera. The

hundi collections go as high as

22.5 million INR a day.

Thulabaram

In the Thulabaram ritual, a devotee sits on

a pan of a weighing balance and the other pan is filled with materials greater than the

weight of the devotee. Devotees usually

offer sugar, jaggery, tulsi leaves, banana,

gold, coins. This is mostly performed with

newborn babies or children.

Festivals

Elephants marching during a festival at Tirumala

In the Venkateswara Temple over 433

festivals are observed 365 days of

a year suiting the title "Nitya Kalyanam

Paccha Toranam" where every day is a

festival.

Sri Venkateswara Brahmotsavams, a nine-day event, which is celebrated every year

October is the major

event of Venkateswara Temple. During

brahmotsavams the processional deity

Malayappa along with his consorts 1 and BhuDevi, is taken in a procession in

four mada streets around the temple on

different vahanams. Vahanams include

Dwajarohanam, Pedda Sesha Vahanam,

Chinna Sesha Vahanam, Hamsa Vahanam,

Simha Vahanam, Muthaypu Mandiri

Vahanam, Kalpavriksha Vahanam, Sarva

Bhoopala Vahanam, Mohini Avataram,

Garuda Vahanam, Hanumantha Vahanam,

Swarna Rathotsavam (Golden Chariot),

Gajavahanam, Rathotsavam (Chariot),

Ashwa Vahanam, and Chakra Snanam.

During Brahmotsavams, the temple will

witness lakhs of devotees particularly on

Garuda vahanam. Vaikunta Ekadasi, the

day on which it is believed that Vaikunta

Dwarams will be opened and the most

important Vasihnavite festival is

celebrated with grandeur in Tirumala. The

Tirumala Venkateswara Temple will be

flooded with devotees on a single day with

numbers reaching up to 150,000, to have a

darshan of Venkateswara through special

the entrance which encircles the inner sanctum

called "Vaikunta Dwaram".

Rathasapthami is another festival, celebrated during February, when

Venkateswara's processional deity

(Malayappa) is taken in a procession

around the temple on seven different

Bahamas starting from early morning to

late night.The other annual festivals

include Rama Navami , Janmashtami,

Ugadi, Teppotsavam (Float Festival), Sri

Padmavati Parinayotsavams, Pushpa

Yagami, Pushpa pallaki, Vasanthotsavam

(spring festival) conducted in March–April,

were celebrated with great splendour.

Songs and hymns

Venkateswara Suprabhatam is the first pre-dawn seva performed to

Venkateswara at Sayana Mandapam

inside sanctum sanctorum of Tirumala

Temple. 'Suprabhatam' is a Sanskrit term

which means 'Good Morning' and

is meant to wake up the Lord from His

celestial sleep.Venkateswara

Suprabhatam hymns were composed by

Prathivadhi Bhayankaram

Annangaracharya during the 13th century and consists of 70 slokas in four parts

including Suprabhatam(29), Stotram(11),

Prapatti(14) and

Mangalasasanam(16).The thirteenth

sloka of Venkateswara Suprabhatam is as

follows:

Devanagari

ीम नभी - वरदा खललोक - ब धो

ी ी नवास - जगदेकदयैक स धो ।

ीदेवतागृहभुजा तर - द मूत

ीवे कटाचलपते तव सु भातम् ॥

Telugu script

మ

ష - వరద ల క - బం

స - జగ కద క ం |

వ గృహ

నర - వ

ంక చలప తవ ప తం |

LAST

śrīmannabhīṣṭavaradākhilalokab

śrīśrīnivāsajagadekadayaikasin

śrīdevatāgṛhabhujāntaradivyam

śrīveṅkaṭācalapate tava suprabh

॥

One with Lakshmi! One

who grants boons? Friend

of all the worlds! Abode

of Sri Lakshmi! The

matchless ocean of

compassion! One having

a charming form on

account of the chest

which is the abode of Sri

Lakshmi! Lord of

Venkatachala! May it be

auspicious dawn to

Thee. ॥ 13 ॥

Tallapaka Annamacharya (Annamayya),

the poet-saint of the 14th century, one of

the greatest Telugu poet and a great

a devotee of Venkateswara had sung 32000

songs in praise of Venkateswara. All

his songs which are in Telugu and

Sanskrit, are referred to as Sankirtanas

and are classified as Sringara Sankirtanalu

and Adhyatma Sankirtanalu.

The Seven Hills

The temple is located on seven hills.

The presiding deity is also referred to as

Sapthagirisha or Lord of Seven hills.

It is believed that seven hills, also referred

to as Saptagiri, represent the seven hoods

of Adisesha.

The seven hills are as

follows:

A statue of Hanuman in prayer pose near Alipiri gate in Tirumala Vrushabhadri—Hill of Vrishabasura, who was killed by Srinivasa

Anjanadri—Hill of Hanuman.

Neeladri—Hill of Neela Devi

Garudadri or Garudachalam—Hill of

Garuda, the vahana of Vishnu

Seshadri or Seshachalam—Hill of Sesha, the dasa of Vishnu

Narayanadri—Hill of Narayana. Srivari

Padalu (footprints of Venkateswara) are

located here

Venkatadri—Hill of Venkateswara

Subshrines

Varadaraja Temple

There is a small shrine dedicated to

Varadaraja located in Vimana-

pradakshinam, towards the left of Vendivakili

(silver entrance) while entering the temple.

It is not known when this deity was

installed. The stone deity is sitting

posture facing west.

Yoga Narasimha Temple

A shrine is dedicated to Narasimha in

North-east corner of the Vimana-

Pradakshina.The shrine is said to have

been built between 1330 A.D. – 1360 A.D.

The Yoga-Narasimha is seen sitting in

cross-legged posture bound by yoga patta

and holding Shankha and chakra in upper

two hands and two lower hands in yoga

mudra.

Garuthmantha Temple

A small shrine dedicated to Garuda the

vehicle of Venkateswara is situated

exactly opposite to the Bangaruvakili

(Golden Entrance) of Jaya-Vijaya. This

sub-shrine is part of Garudamandapam.

The Garuthmantha deity is six feet tall and

faces west looking towards Venkateswara

inside Garbhagriha.

Bhuvaraha Swamy Temple

Bhuvaraha Swamy Temple is the temple

dedicated to Varaha an incarnation of

Vishnu. This temple is believed to be older

than Venkateswara Temple. The temple

lies on the Northern Banks of Swami

Pushkarini. As per tradition, at first

Naivedyam will be offered to Bhuvaraha

Swamy before offering it to Venkateswara

in the main Temple. And also as per tradition,

devotees should have the darshan of

Bhuvaraha Swamy before Venkateswara.

Bedi-Anjaneya Temple

Bedi-Anjaneya Temple is the sub-shrine

dedicated to Hanuman. The temple lies

exactly opposite to the Mahadwaram near

Akhilandam (the place where coconuts are

offered). The deity in this temple has both

of his hands handcuffed (Telugu

Language:Bedilu).

Vakulamatha Sannidhi

Vakulamatha is the mother of

Venkateswara. There is a statue dedicated

to her in the main temple just ahead of

Varadaraja shrine. The deity is in sitting

posture. As per legend, she supervises the

preparation of food that is to be offered to

her son. For this reason, a hole is made to

the wall which separates Vakulamatha

sandhi and Srivari post (Kitchen).

Kubera Sannidi

There is a sub-shrine dedicated to Kubera

within the Vimanapradakshina. The deity

lies to the right side of Garbhagriha and

faces south towards the presiding deity.

Ramanuja Shrine

The Shrine of Sri Ramanuja is located

adjacent to the northern corridor of the

Vimana Pradakshinam. It is also known as

the Bhashyakara Sannidhi. The shrine was

built around the 13th century A.D.

Notable devotees

Ramanuja (1017–1137) was the most important Acharya of Sri Vaishnavism.

was responsible for managing the

worshipping procedures and other affairs

of the Venkateswara temple. He is

credited for gifting the holy conch and the

discus, the weapons of Vishnu during his

visit. So he is considered an 'Acharya'(Guru

or teacher) to himself. He

established the Pedda Jeeyar Matam. He

has a sannidhi(shrine) inside the temple

which was built by Sri AnanthALwAn.

Statue of Pada-kavita Pitaamaha, Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya (or Annamayya) - official song master of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple

Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya (or

Annamayya) (22 May 1408 – 4 April 1503)

was the official song master of the

Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, and a

Telugu composer who composed around

36000 katanas, many of which were

in praise of Venkateswara, the presiding

deity of the temple.

Hathiram Bhavaji was a saint from

Ayodhya visited Tirumala around 1500 CE on a pilgrimage and became a

a devotee of Venkateswara.

Religious significance

The temple is considered one of the eight

Swayambhu Kshetras of Vishnu where

the presiding deity is believed to have

manifested on its own. Seven other

temples in the line are Srirangam

Ranganathaswamy temple, Bhu V araha

Swamy temple, and Vanamamalai Perumal

Temple in South India and Saligrama in

Nepal , Naimisaranya , Pushkar and

Badrinath Temple in North India.

The temple is revered b y Alvars in Divya

Prabandham. The temple is classified as a

Divyadesam, one of the 108 Vishnu

temples that are mentioned in these

books. The benefits acquired by a

pilgrimage to Venkatachala is mentioned

in the Rig Veda and Asthadasa Puranas. In

these epics, Venkateswara is described as

the great bestower of boons. There are

several legends associated with the

manifestation of the at Tirumala.

Nearby temples

There are many ancient temples nearby

Tirumala. Sri Padamavathi Temple is

the temple is dedicated to Padmavathi, the wife

of Venkateswara, situated at Tiruchanur

which is 5 km from Tirupati.

Srikalahasteeswara Temple is the temple

dedicated to Shiva which represents

" Vayu"(air) form of elements of Nature, is

situated at Srikalahasti which is 38 km

from Tirupati. Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka

Temple, situated at Kanipakam town, is a

10th-century Temple dedicated to

Vinayaka at 75 km from Tirupati. Other

than these, temples like Govindaraja

Temple, Kalyana Venkateswara

Temple(Srinivasa Mangapuram),

Kodandarama Temple , Kapila Theertham

are situated within Tirupati city.

Travel Temple Miracles

Saturday, March 4, 2023

Venkateswara Temple

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Veera Narasingadeva

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