Tirupati/Tirumala is a pilgrimage center of great significance and is visited by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims throughout the year.Venkateswara, or Srinivasa or Balaji as the presiding deity Vishnu is known, is enshrined in this temple, located on a range of the Eastern Ghats, called the Seven Hills.It is an ancient temple and its glory has been sung by the saints of the yesteryears.
Said to be the richest temple in India, this temple is a vibrant cultural and philanthropic institution with a grand history spanning several centuries. It attracts pilgrims from all over the country and it is not unusual for pilgrims to stand in line for hours together to obtain a glimpse of the presiding deity for a few fleeting seconds.
TTD, or Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam manages the affairs of the temple, the well being of the pilgrims, the upkeep of the environs in and around the Tirumala hills and sponsors several undertakings that are religious, charitable, social and educational in nature.
References to Tiruvenkatam abound in early Tamil literature(Tolkappiam and Silappadikaram) . Explicit reference to the Lord of Tiruvenkatam is found in the works of the early Tamil Saint Poets Poigai Alwar, Bhuthathu Alwar and Pay Alwar as well as in the poems of the later Alwars. The great religious leader Ramanuja Acharya is said to have visited here in the 11th - 12th century AD.
References to Venkatachalam are also found in several of the Puranas. Tirumalai constitutes one of the 108 Sri Vaishnava Divya Desams - sacred shrines in the Sri Vaishnavite tradition. Krishna Deva Raya of the Vijayanagar Empire is said to have visited this temple 7 times. An image of his is also found in the temple. The Venkatesa Itihasa Mala and the Varaha Purana contain several legends connected with Tirumalai.
Location: Tirupati is a town in the Chittoor district of the Southern portion of Andhra Pradesh and is at a convenient train journey away from Chennai (formerly Madras) in Tamilnadu. Tirumalai, on the last of the seven Hills, is home to this temple and is connected by a well maintained and picturesque mountain road constructed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devastanam.
The Temple
The temple covers an area of about 2 acres. The Sampangi pradakshinam is the outer circumambulatory path, while the inner paths are called Vimana Pradakshinam and the Mukkoti Pradakshinam respectively.
The Kalyana Mandapam is located in the Vimana Pradakshinam and it dates back to the 16th century. This mandapam has several features reflecting the brilliance of the Vijayanagar architecture style. There are several carved figures on the granite pillars. Musical pillars are also found in this mandapam. Shrines to Yoga Narasimha and Ramanuja are found in this pradakshinam.
In front of the sanctum is the Tirumani Mandapam, a hall with a door of gold. The Mukkoti Pradakshinam or the innermost circumambulatory path is opened only on the Vaikunta Ekadasi day each year.
The sanctum or the Garba Griham which is just behind the Sayana Mandapam (Mukha Mandapam) is a 12 ft square chamber housing the image of worship. The Sanctum is crowned with a golden Vimanam or tower, the Ananda Nilaya Vimanam - or the abode of bliss. This three tiered vimanam is about 38 feet high.
The Deity
The deity worshipped at Tirupati is Venkatachalapati. The image is that of a 10 ft high Sthanaka or standing figure of Vishnu on a lotus pedestal. The image is said to be a personification of perfection itself. Lakshmi forms an integral part of this image, which is decorated with flowers and ornamented with several precious jewels.
Included in the jewelry are a Lakshmi-garland, a necklace with 108 images of Lakshmi, a Salagrama garland, with salagrams encased in gold, an exquisitely carved Dasavatara belt around the waist, the Suryakatari, a golden sword that hangs from this belt, two gold sculptured plaques of Lakshmi and Padmavathi on the chest.
Venkatachalapati is the only moolavar in the sanctum and this is said to be the only Eka Murthy Temple for Vishnu in India. There are other processional deities in the temple. Bhoga Srinivasa, a silver replica of the mula vigraham is said to have been made and consecrated in the year 966 AD. The donor is said to have been a Pallava Queen and inscriptions related to this endowment are found in the temple.
Malayappan Swamy is the processional idol or the Utsava Murthy. This image in a standing posture again is a replica of the mula vigraham. This image is flanked by Sri Devi and Bhu Devi. Inscriptions describing this image date back to the 14th century AD.
Ugra Srinivasa and Koluvu Srinivasa (Durbar Srinivasa) are two other images in the sanctum. There is also an image of Krishna, along with images of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana. Chakkaratalwar or the Sudharshana Chakram is also featured in the sanctum sanctorum.
Said to be the richest temple in India, this temple is a vibrant cultural and philanthropic institution with a grand history spanning several centuries. It attracts pilgrims from all over the country and it is not unusual for pilgrims to stand in line for hours together to obtain a glimpse of the presiding deity for a few fleeting seconds.
TTD, or Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam manages the affairs of the temple, the well being of the pilgrims, the upkeep of the environs in and around the Tirumala hills and sponsors several undertakings that are religious, charitable, social and educational in nature.
References to Tiruvenkatam abound in early Tamil literature(Tolkappiam and Silappadikaram) . Explicit reference to the Lord of Tiruvenkatam is found in the works of the early Tamil Saint Poets Poigai Alwar, Bhuthathu Alwar and Pay Alwar as well as in the poems of the later Alwars. The great religious leader Ramanuja Acharya is said to have visited here in the 11th - 12th century AD.
References to Venkatachalam are also found in several of the Puranas. Tirumalai constitutes one of the 108 Sri Vaishnava Divya Desams - sacred shrines in the Sri Vaishnavite tradition. Krishna Deva Raya of the Vijayanagar Empire is said to have visited this temple 7 times. An image of his is also found in the temple. The Venkatesa Itihasa Mala and the Varaha Purana contain several legends connected with Tirumalai.
Location: Tirupati is a town in the Chittoor district of the Southern portion of Andhra Pradesh and is at a convenient train journey away from Chennai (formerly Madras) in Tamilnadu. Tirumalai, on the last of the seven Hills, is home to this temple and is connected by a well maintained and picturesque mountain road constructed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devastanam.
The Temple
The temple covers an area of about 2 acres. The Sampangi pradakshinam is the outer circumambulatory path, while the inner paths are called Vimana Pradakshinam and the Mukkoti Pradakshinam respectively.
The Kalyana Mandapam is located in the Vimana Pradakshinam and it dates back to the 16th century. This mandapam has several features reflecting the brilliance of the Vijayanagar architecture style. There are several carved figures on the granite pillars. Musical pillars are also found in this mandapam. Shrines to Yoga Narasimha and Ramanuja are found in this pradakshinam.
In front of the sanctum is the Tirumani Mandapam, a hall with a door of gold. The Mukkoti Pradakshinam or the innermost circumambulatory path is opened only on the Vaikunta Ekadasi day each year.
The sanctum or the Garba Griham which is just behind the Sayana Mandapam (Mukha Mandapam) is a 12 ft square chamber housing the image of worship. The Sanctum is crowned with a golden Vimanam or tower, the Ananda Nilaya Vimanam - or the abode of bliss. This three tiered vimanam is about 38 feet high.
The Deity
Included in the jewelry are a Lakshmi-garland, a necklace with 108 images of Lakshmi, a Salagrama garland, with salagrams encased in gold, an exquisitely carved Dasavatara belt around the waist, the Suryakatari, a golden sword that hangs from this belt, two gold sculptured plaques of Lakshmi and Padmavathi on the chest.
Venkatachalapati is the only moolavar in the sanctum and this is said to be the only Eka Murthy Temple for Vishnu in India. There are other processional deities in the temple. Bhoga Srinivasa, a silver replica of the mula vigraham is said to have been made and consecrated in the year 966 AD. The donor is said to have been a Pallava Queen and inscriptions related to this endowment are found in the temple.
Malayappan Swamy is the processional idol or the Utsava Murthy. This image in a standing posture again is a replica of the mula vigraham. This image is flanked by Sri Devi and Bhu Devi. Inscriptions describing this image date back to the 14th century AD.
Ugra Srinivasa and Koluvu Srinivasa (Durbar Srinivasa) are two other images in the sanctum. There is also an image of Krishna, along with images of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana. Chakkaratalwar or the Sudharshana Chakram is also featured in the sanctum sanctorum.
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