The famous Venkateswara Temple is situated on the hill at Tirumala / Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. It is also called Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple, Tirupati Balaji Temple. Venkateswara is also called Balaji, Govinda, Srinivasa and Edukondala Swami (Lord of 7 hills).
It is situated on the Tirumala hills which are part of the Seshachalam Hills range. The 2,799 ft high hills have seven peaks, said to represent the seven heads of the holy snake Adisesha. The Venkateswara temple is on the seventh peak known as Venkatadri.
The temple construction is reported to have started sometime in 300 AD. It was patronised and developed by The Pallava dynasty, the Chola dynasty, and finally the most by the Vijayanagara Empire of Andhra Pradesh. More than 100000 pilgrims visit the temple daily. Donations in cash and gold by the kings, celebrities and millions of devotees have made it the richest temple in the world. The temple’s gold reserves are over 9,000 kg, it has over Rs 12,000 crore in fixed deposits in various banks – earning around Rs 850 crore as interest. Its annual cash donations are Rs 1,000-1,200 crores.
There are many legends connected with the manifestation of Venkateswara. It is believed that the deity of Lord Venkateswara will be there till the end present Kali Yuga.
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. Sri Venkatachala Mahatyam is the widely accepted legend over Tirumala Temple.
It is said that once Rishi Bhrigu got angry with Lord Vishnu and kiked Him on the chest. kicked Vishnu in the chest and Vishnu apologised and massaged his feet. Goddess Lakshmi who is said to reside at the chest of Lord Vishnu, felt insulted by this and left Vaikuntam and came to Earth to Kolhapur and started meditating.
After that Vishnu also left Vaikuntam in search of Lakshmi and came in human form as Srinivasa to Tirumala Hills and started meditating. Lakshmi came to know about the condition of Srinivasa and prayed to Shiva and Brahma. Shiva and Brahma then converted themselves into Cow and Calf and Goddess 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 Cowherd saw this and tried to beat the Cow with staff but Srinivasa had borne the injury. Getting angered by this Srinivasa had cursed the Chola king to become a Demon as dharma says Servants sin should be borne by Kings. The king prayed for mercy after which Srinivasa said to him, that the King should take next birth as Akasaraja and should perform marriage of his daughter Padmavati with Srinivasa.[11]
Srinivasa went to his mother Vakula Devi on Tirumala hills and stayed there for a while. After curse Chola king took rebirth as Akasaraja and he had 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 will return to Tirumala Hills. After few months Goddess Lakshmi had come to know about the marriage of Srinivasa with Padamavati and went to Tirumala hills to question Srinivasa. It is said that the srinivasa turns into Stone right when he was encountered by Lakshmi and Padmavathi. Brahma and Shiva appear before the confused queens and explain the main purpose behind all this – The Lord’s desire to be on the 7 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 with their always. Lakshmi stays with Him on His Chest on the left side while Padmavathi rests on His Chest’s right side.
The presiding deity, Venkateswara, is in standing posture and faces east in the Garbha gruha. The temple follows Vaikhanasa Agama tradition of worship. The temple is one of the eight Vishnu Swayambhu Kshetras and is listed as 106th and the last earthly Divya Desam.
Along with Venkateswara the garbha griha also has panchaloha deities of Sita, Rama, Lakshmana, Rukmini, Sri Krishna swamy, Chakratalwar. The temple has the deities of Garuda, Yoga Narasimha, Varadaraja, Kubera, Bedi Anjaneya Anantha, Garuda, Viswaksena, Sugriva and Ramanuja. in their respective sub-shrines in the temple complex.
Poojas and festivals: The temple follows “Vaikhanasa Agama” Vaishnava tradition of worship. This ancient texts recommends six times puja every day for Vishnu, of which minimum one puja is mandatory. 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, Ashtadala 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.
Tirupati Laddu
A lot of other prasadams and free meals are offered at the temple. The Tirupati Laddu given as prasadam is a very tasty one and is very famous. The man who makes the Tirupati laddu has become a multi millionaire!
Hair tonsuring
Many devotees have their head tonsured as “Mokku” or vow, , an offering to God. The daily amount of hair collected is over a ton. The hair is collected and is sold internationally creating a substantial profit for the temple.
3550 Steps
Many Devotees take a Vow to Lord Venkateswara to climb the Tirupati by foot. It consists of a total 3550 Steps which makes a distance of 12 km.
Darshan and visits and Poojas can be booked online in advance from www.ttdsevaonline.com
Timings: Here are the different kind of Darshans and their respective timings:
General Darshan (Sarva Darshanam) – This Darshan is open for the general public. The timings are different each day of the week.
Monday, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday – The Darshan starts from 7:30 AM – 7 PM in the evening. It resumes from 8 PM till 1 AM the next morning.
Wednesday and Friday – The Darshan starts from 9 AM till 7 PM in the evening and again from 8 PM till 1 AM the next morning.
Thursday – The Darshan starts early from 8 AM till 7 PM and then again from 8 PM till 1 AM the next morning.
VIP Darshan (Sheeghra Darshan) – It is for immediate Darshan by paying a fees. Pilgrims can also make an advance booking on the official website at www.ttdsevaonline.com. This Darshan starts from 9 AM daily till 3 PM.
Places to visit near by: Kalahasti temple 37 km away, is a famous Pancha Maha Bhuta Shiva temple. Regular buses are available from Tirupati.
How to reach: Being one of the most visited temple it is well connected by air, train and bus.
Accommodation: Many budget to 5 star hotels are available. At the temple on the hill also you can book rooms online.
