Tirupati book part i

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Journal of the Indo Nordic Author’s Collective
Dr. UDAY VASANT DOKRAS

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DR UDAY DOKRAS

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Fast Facts
Location: Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India
Built By: King Thondaiman
Architectural Style: Dravidian
Dedicated To: Lord Venkateswara
Tradition: Vaishnavism
Major Festivals: Brahmotsavam, aiVkunta Ekadasi

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CONTENTS
PART I- GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THIS SPECIAL
PLACE
History 3
History of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple-Medieval history 17
Architecture of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple 17See also detailed PART B of this book page 58
Sapthagirisha or Lord of Seven hills 27
Inscriptions 28
Mystery 35
Riches 38
Golden Chariot-Vasanthotsav 39
Demystifying the myth behind the Idol of Lord venkateswara. 46
Know the Flower Garlands of Sri Venkateswara in Tirumala
ANNAPRASADAM 51
Laddu Prasadamn 54
Staircase 55
Tirumala Temple History
Tirumala Temple Description – History of Tirumala Temple
The benefits acquired by a pilgrimage to Venkatachala is mentioned in Rig Veda and Asthadasa
Puranas. In these epics , Lord Sri Venkateswara is described as the great bestower of Boons.
Tirumala Temple is a Popular Hindu site.
Sri Venkatachala Mahathyam is referred in several puranas, of which the most important are the
Varaha Purana and the Bhavishottara Purana. According to Varaha Purana, Adi Varaha
manifested himself on the western bank of the Swamy Pushkarini, while God Vishnu in the form
of Venkateswara came to reside on the souther bank of the Swamy Pushkarini.

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Padi Kavali Maha Dwaram – Entrance of Tirumala Temple
The padi kavali Maha dwaram or Outer Gopuram stands on a quadrangular base, which is the
entrance to Tirumala Temple. Its architecture is that of the later Chola Period. The inscriptions
on the Gopuram belong to 13th Century. There are a number of stucco figure of gods like
Hanuman, Kevale Narasimha and Lakshmi Narasimha on the Gopuram.
Sampangi Pradakshinam inside Tirumala Temple
The path of Circumnavigating the temple is called pradakshinam. The main Tirumala temple has
three prakarams. Between the outermost and middle prakarams is the second pathway for
circumambulation know as the Sampangi Pradakshinam. Currently, this pathway is close to
pilgrims. The sampangi Pradakshinam contains several interesting mandapams like Pratima
Mandapam , Ranga Mandapam ( Ranganayakula Mandapam) , Tirumala Raya Mandapam,
Saluva Narasimha Mandapam, Aina Mahal and Dhwajasthambha Mandapam.
Ranga Mandapam or Ranganayakula Mandapam inside Tirumala Temple
Ranga Mandapam also called the Ranganayakula Mandapam, is located in the southeastern
corner of the Sampangi Pradakshinam. The shrine within it is believed to be the place where the
Utsava murthi, Idol of Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam was kept during the 14th Century, when
Muslim rulers occupied Srirangam. It is said Yadava ruler Sri Ranganatha Yadava Raya
constructed it between 1320 and 1360. It is constructed according to the ‘Nagara’ style of
architecture.
Tirumala Raya Mandapam inside Tirumala Temple
Adjoining the Ranga Mandapam on the western side, and facing the Dhwajasthambha
Mandapam is a spacious complex of pavilions known as the Tirumala Raya Mandapam or Ann
Un-Jal Mandapam.
It consists of two different levels, the front at a lower level and the rear at a higher. Saluva
Narasimha constructed the southern or inner portion of this Mandapam in 1473 A.D to celebrate
a festival for Sri Venkateswara called Anna Unjal Tirunal (Anna Un-Jal Tirunal). Araviti
Bukkaraya Ramaraja, Shriranga Raja and Tirumala Raja extended this structure to its present
size.
It is in this Mandapam, that the Utsaava murthi Malayappa holds His annual darbar (court) or
asthanam during the hoisting of the Garudadhwaja on Dhwajasthambham to mark the
commencement of Brahmotsavam. Incidentally, the prasadam distributed on this occasion is still
called Tirumalaraya Pongal.
The mandapam has a typical complex of pillar in the Vijayanagara style, with a central pillar
surrounded by smaller pillars. Some of these pillars emit musical notes when struck with a stone.
The main pillars have rearing horses with warriors mounted on them. Some of the best sculptures
of the temple found in bold relief in the Mandapam. The bronze statue of Thodermallu, his
mother Matha Mohana Devi and his wife Pitha Bibi, are kept in a corner of the Mandapam.
Aina Mahal inside Tirumala Temple
The Aina (Mirror) Mahal is on the northern side of the Tirumala Raya Mandapam. It consists of
two parts – an open mandapam in the front consisting of six rows comprising six pillars each,
and a shrine behind it consisting of an Antarala and Garbhagriha. It has large mirrors. These
reflect images in an infinite series. There is a Un-jal (Unjal) or food and water in the middle of
the room. In which, the Lord is seated and festivals conducted.
Dhwajasthambha Mandapam inside Tirumala Temple

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Dhwajasthamba Mandapam inside Tirumala Temple- Pratima Mandapam inside Tirumala
Temple
Statues of Sri Krishna Deva Raya and His consorts inside Pratima Mandapam
Modern history

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Lord Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala (Tirupati) is one of the most famous temples in
India. With more than 35 million pilgrims visiting the temple every year, it is one of the
most visited holy places and also one of the richest temples in the world. Built on the
Venkata Hill, which is a part of the famous Seshachalam Hills, Tirupati Temple is
considered as one of the holiest shrines by the Hindus. According to a legend, Lord
Vishnu assumed the form of Sri Venkateswara to save mankind from the adversities of
Kali Yuga.
Lord Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala (Tirupati) is one of the most famous temples in
India. With more than 35 million pilgrims visiting the temple every year, it is one of the most
visited holy places and also one of the richest temples in the world. Built on the Venkata Hill,
which is a part of the famous Seshachalam Hills, Tirupati Temple is considered as one of the
holiest shrines by the Hindus. According to a legend, Lord Vishnu assumed the form of Sri
Venkateswara to save mankind from the adversities of Kali Yuga. History & Legends
Associated with the Temple
There are many legends associated with the origin of this age-old temple. The larger than life
statue of the main deity is said to have formed on its own, making it one of the eight
‘Swayambhu Kshetras’ (self-manifested image) of Lord Vishnu. Many ancient texts,
including the Rig Veda mention the existence and prominence of the temple. Written texts,
which are dated back to the Mauryan and Gupta era, refer the temple as ‘Aadhi Varaha

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Kshetra’. In fact, many other texts and theories link the history of Tirupati Temple to Lord
Varaha, one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu. According to a legend, Lord Varaha created
the entire Seshachalam Hills so that Adisesha, the seven-headed snake on which Vishnu rests,
could rest on earth. Interestingly, Seshachalam Hills has seven peaks, which are said to be the
representation of the heads of Adisesha.
As far as the construction of the temple is concerned, King Thondaiman of Tondaimandalam
kingdom constructed the precincts and the towering gateway (Gopuram) of the temple. He
also made sure his subjects worshipped the Lord regularly.
The construction of the temple too has many legends associated with it. One such legend has
it that Lord Vishnu appeared in King Thondaiman’s dream and asked him to construct the
temple. The temple was later expanded by various kings and emperors who ruled over the
place. Starting from 300 AD, the Tirupati Temple was built over a period of time. One of the
earliest recorded evidences state the generosity of Pallava queen Samavai; she had donated
precious jewels and 23 acres of land for celebrating the major festivals of the temple. During
the Chola dynasty, the temple was developed further as many Chola Kings embellished it
with riches. When the Vijayanagara Empire took over, diamonds and gold were donated to
the temple. Krishnadevaraya, one of the famous Emperors of Vijayanagara, visited the temple
on multiple occasions and contributed to the construction of the temple.
After the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire, the temple was patronised by several kings
until the advent of the East India Company. When the British took over the temple, they
leased it for various purposes to different tenants. The East India Company then bestowed the
administration of the temple to the chief priest of Hathiramji Muth. The Hathiramji Muth
administered the temple until 1933, after which the ‘Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam’ (TTD)
took over the administration of the temple. In 1966, a court order transferred the
administration of the temple to the government of Andhra Pradesh. This order was rolled
back in 1979, when the administration of the temple was vested to the members of TTD. A

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committee, including a couple of members representing the government of Andhra Pradesh,
was formed for running the day-to-day administration.
Architecture
Built in accordance with the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple has three entrances,
which lead to the sanctum sanctorum. The first entrance is called as ‘Mahadwaram.’ A
towering gateway (Gopuram), measuring 50 feet high, is placed right in front of the first
entrance. The temple has two circumambulation paths. While the first path houses many
pillared halls, flagstaffs and a dedicated area to distribute the offertories, the second path has
many sub-shrines, main kitchen, main hundi and many other important edifices. Guest houses
and various food counters have been recently constructed for the benefit of the pilgrims. A
gold-plated tower inside the main shrine is called ‘Ananda Nilayam’ and is the most
important part of the temple. The inner temple of ‘Ananda Nilayam’ houses the main deity
and was constructed around the 12th Century A.D. It was later reconstructed throughout late
the 1950s to 1960s. The temple also has a holy pond called Swami Pushkarni, located
towards the northern side. Pushkarni, which covers a huge area of 1.5 acres, is one of the
most sacred places of the temple. A legend has it that the pond was carried to the hills all the
way from Vaikuntham (Lord Vishnu's abode) by Garuda. Saluva King Narasimha Raya
constructed a pillared hall at the center of the pond in 1468.
Deities
There are shrines of many deities within the complex of the temple. One of them is the shrine
of Lord Ram, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman. The temple also has shrines dedicated to Lord
Krishna, along with his consort Rukmini, Vishvaksena, Sugriva and Angad. While Sugriva
and Angad are prominent figures from the Hindu epic Ramayanam, Vishvaksena is Lord

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Vishnu’s attendant who oversees the Lord's wealth. Apart from these deities, there are five
principal deities and they are mentioned below:
 Tirumala Dhruva Bera – Dhruva Bera is the main deity and is considered a source of
energy. The idol of Lord Venkateswara is fixed and is believed to be a Swayambhu
(self-manifested image). It is said that Lord Vishnu reincarnated on earth and assumed
the form of Srinivasa (human form). During his stay on earth, he married princess
Padmavati. When Goddess Lakshmi got to know about her husband’s second marriage,
she went in search of him. When confronted by both Mahalakshmi and Padmavati,
Lord Vishnu, who had assumed the form of Srinivasa, turns into stone.
 Bhoga Srinivasa – This is a small silver idol of the Lord which is always placed near the
left foot of the main deity. This idol was donated to the temple by Queen Samavai of
the Pallava dynasty in 614 A.D. The idol is usually swayed in a silver cradle and is
made to sleep in a golden cot. Since the idol experiences all the worldly pleasures, it is
called as Bhoga Srinivasa.

 Ugra Srinivasa – The idol of Ugra Srinivasa is kept inside the sanctum sanctorum and is
cleansed everyday with holy water, milk, ghee, curd, etc. Originally, the idol was used
in the processions, but was later replaced by Utsava Beram. It is said that whenever the
idol of Ugra Srinivasa was taken out for processions, fire accidents would take place
inevitably. Hence, this idol was considered as the fierce from of Lord Venkateswara.
 Utsava Beram – When the devotees could no longer use the idol of Ugra Srinivasa for
processions, they offered their prayers to the Lord, requesting Him to suggest them an
alternative. The Lord then appeared in one of His devotees’ dream and told him about
another idol that can be used for processions. The devotees then found the idol of
Utsava Beram in the hills of Seshachalam. The same idol is being used for processions
to date.
 Koluvu Srinivasa – Made from a combination of five metals, Koluvu Srinivasa is
considered as the guardian deity who supervises all the activities, including the

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finances of the temple. The idol closely resembles Dhruva Bera and is also called Bali
Beram.
Festivals
The Tirupati Temple celebrates a staggering 433 festivals in a year, practically turning every
day into a festival. Out of all those festivals, 'Brahmotsavam' is the most famous festival of
Tirupati. 'Brahmotsavam' is celebrated in a grand style over a period of nine days. The
festival attracts pilgrims and tourists from all over the country. According to a legend, Lord
Brahma descends to earth every year in order to perform this festival and hence it is called
‘Brahmotsavam’ which literally translates to ‘the festival performed by Brahma’. Another
important festival which is celebrated in the temple is called ‘Vaikunta Ekadashi.’ It is
believed that the gates of heaven (Lord Vishnu’s abode) will remain open on this particular
day. Hence the festival holds great significance. Other important festivals celebrated in the
temple include ‘Rathasapthami’, ‘Rama Navami’, ‘Janmashtami’, ‘Vasanthotsavam’, ‘Pushpa
yagam’ and ‘Teppotsavam.’
Sri Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala (Tirupati) is really significant to the Hindus from a
religious point of view. Every year, the temple attracts tourists and devotees from all over the
world. According to the legend, Sri Venkateswara is a benefactor of boons in the Dark Age
(Kaliyuga), and people come here to seek the blessings of the Lord. Legend has it that the
main deity of the temple has stood through epochs (Yugas). Since it is believed that Lord
Vishnu turned Himself into stone in order to help mankind in the Dark Age, devotees often
experience a state of bliss after visiting the temple. The temple also plays a vital role in the
economy of the local people in general and the government of Andhra Pradesh in particular.

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Being the world’s richest temple, it creates job opportunities for thousands and is the only
source of income to many.
After the dusk of Vijayanagara Empire, the temple went into the hands of Golconda in July 1656
and then it was under the French for a short period of time and under Nawab of Carnatic till 1801
CE. With the advent of British during the early 19th century, the management of the temple
passed to hands of East India Company, who accorded special status to temple and avoided
interference in temple activities. Madras government passed Regulation seven of 1817, which
passed the temple to Board of Revenue through collector of North Arcot District. In 1821, Bruce
of England 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
direct control of Andhra pradesh State Endowments Department, with Andhra Pradesh
Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments act. In 1979, act of 1966 was rolled
back with new Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams act, where temple administration was vested to a
committee consisting of Executive officer, Chairman and two other members nominated
by Government of Andhra Pradesh.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is an independent trust which manages the Tirumala
Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh. The trust oversees the operations and
finances of the second richest and the most visited religious center in the world.[1]
It is also
involved in various social, religious, literary and educational activities. TTD is headquartered at
Tirupati and employs about 16,000 people. The chairman of TTD is Y. V. Subba Reddy.
Legislative settings:TTD was established in 1932 as a result of the TTD Act of 1932. According
to the act administration of the temple was vested in a committee of seven members and
overseen by a paid commissioner appointed by the Madras Government. Advising the committee
were two advisory councils – one composed of priests and temple administrators to aid the
committee with the operations of the Tirumala temple, and another composed of farmers for
advice on Tirumala's land and estate transactions.[3]
The Andhra Pradesh Charitable and Hindu Religious Institution and Endowments Act (1969),
sections 85 to 91, expanded the provisions of TTD. The number of trustees was expanded from
five to eleven with compulsory representation from certain communities. Apart from the
responsibilities defined in the previous act, Devasthanam was obliged to promote the study of
Indian languages and propagate Hindu Dharma by research, teaching, training and literature
creation.
The A.P. Charitable & Hindu Religious Institutions & Endowments Act (1987) superseded the
1979 act. The Board of Trustees' membership was expanded from a maximum of eleven to
fifteen and the hereditary rights of temple priests and their right to garner a share of the hundi
proceeds were abolished. After increased pressure from the priests over a long period,[4]
the AP
government made an amendment to the act in 2006, to discontinue these two controversial

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clauses. It is mandatory for non-Hindus to sign a declaration form before entering the hill temple,
stating that they have faith in the presiding deity, Lord Venkateswara.
List of Temples under Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams(TTD)
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams trust primarily manages the administration of Lord
Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala. It also manages many other temples in Tirupati and all around
the world. The temples include both historical and new temples which were constructed by TTD
itself.
Departments: TTD has almost all the departments that would be in a government, including
production (laddus), engineering (dams and roads), water supply, human resources, transport,
procurement and marketing, finance and accounting, public relations, information technology,
forest and gardens, educational institutions and hospitals, revenue and general administration.
Services: TTD provides various services for pilgrims to Tirumala and Tirupati, including bus
services, food and accommodation. It maintains the queue management system, facilitates
head tonsure and distribution of laddu. It runs information and ticketing centers in the major
towns and cities across the country. It maintains various marriage halls, degree colleges, junior
colleges and high schools. Sri Venkateswara Central Library and Research Centre (SVCLRC),
established by TTD in 1993, houses approximately 40,000 volumes of books, mainly on religion
and philosophy. The Research Wing works towards studying and publishing material related to
the Hindu religion, produces authentic papers on original Sanskrit texts, and provide translations
of major Hindu works in regional languages, Hindi and English. Dharma Prachara Parishad was
established to propagate the Hindu dharma. TTD also helps promote the age-old cultural heritage
of India, in the areas of traditional sculpture and architecture, temple renovation and
reconstructions and restoration of Hindu sculptures. Complex queueing algorithms and emerging
technologies have been evaluated and implemented to manage the huge crowds with Tata
Consultancy Services designing and implementing the software and hardware infrastructure for
queue management along with other companies.

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Annaprasadam
The food offerings as "Annaprasadams" are being undertaken by TTD in a massive way in the
Matrusri Tarigonda Vengamamba Annaprasadam Complex, donated by Matsuri Tarigonda
Ananta Koti Raju at Tirumala, in all the waiting queue lines and compartments of Vaikuntam
Queue Complex I and II, footpath routes etc.
In Tirupati and Tiruchanur also the distribution of free food as "Annaprasadam" is being made to
not less than 15,000 devotees.
Donations given by devotees equal nearly 130 million every month. Auctions of human hair
fetched a revenue of INR 150 crores in 2011 and 203 crores in 2012.[8]
Temple admission ticket
sales fetched a revenue of $25 million in 2007. Laddu, a confectionery, is offered as Lord's
prasadam. TTD has procured machines from MICO BOSCH to automate the manufacture of
laddus.[9]
Sale of laddus fetched a revenue of staggering $10 million in 2007.
Education
Sri Venkateswara Vedic University, Tirumala
 Sri Venkateswara Arts College,Tirupati
 Sri Venkateswara Institute of Traditional Sculpture and Architecture, Tirupati
 Sri Venkateswara College of Music and Dance, Tirupati
 Sri Venkateswara Ayurvedic College, Tirupati
 Sri Venkateswara Yoga Institute, Tirupati
 Sri Venkateswara Polytechnic for the Physically Challenged (SVPPC), Tirupati
 Sri Padmavati mahila viswavidyalayam (SPMVV), Tirupati
 Sri Venkateswara government polytechnic college, Tirupati
 Sri Padmavathi mahila polytechnic college, Tirupati
 Sri Venkateswara College, New Delhi
Hospitals
TTD acts as a major stake holder in the following hospitals
 Sri Venkateswara Ramnarain Ruia Government General Hospital
 Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences
 Government Maternity Hospital, Tirupati
Sri Venkateswara Gosamrakshana Shala
It is home for cattle received as a donation (Godanam). It was established in the year 1956 by
TTD and later renamed to S.V. Gosamrakshana Shala during 2004. It is located at Chandragiri
Road, Tirupati. It is maintained by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams based on the funds received
under Sri Venkateswara Gosamrakshana Shala Trust. Activities of the trust include providing a
good environment, management, and food to the cattle. The milk and its products produced here
are used by TTD for daily rituals at Sri Venkateswara Temple and other TTD temples.
Free bus services

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TTD runs free buses from the Tirupati railway station and bus station to Alipiri and Srivari
Mettu, every 30 minutes. Pilgrims who intend to walk up the hills to Tirumala use these buses.
TTD also provides free bus services within Tirumala town, which are known as "Dharma
Rathams". There are 12 such buses that pass through cottages, choultries, temples and other
places in Tirumala, at a frequency of every 3 minutes in the prescribed time slots.
Civet
The civet is an endangered animal that first appeared in historic texts during the 12th century. In
these texts, it was depicted that kings would be bathed in the oil created from the secretion of
these cats, called Punugu oil, for aromatic purposes. In the 14th century the oil became known as
a prestigious perfume. In the 21st century, the temple has used this oil to anoint the sacred image
of Sri Venkateswara every Friday. Due to the weekly occurrence of this practice, the TTD reared
nine of these civets in the Sri Venkateswara dairy farms to easily collect the secretions. In 2002,
due to the endangered nature of the animals, this practice came under fire. The topic cropped up
again in 2008, this time accompanied by the confiscation of their civets due to the violation of
the 1972 Wildlife Protection Act. The temple tried to re-obtain the civets by stating that without
these animals it would go against their ageless religious practices. If that plan failed, they had
hopes of funding a zoo refuge for these animals and in turn be able to collect their secretions.
Inscriptions:
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 valuable source of material for a historical linguist in Telugu apart from its importance to
musicologists.
In 2006, The Andhra Pradesh government decided to build a church on sacred Tirumala hills and
declared only two of seven hills of Tirumala are of Hindu worship and the rest can be used by
the state for its use under the rule of Y.S Rajasekhara Reddy, who was a Christian. This resulted
in heavy protests all over Andhra Pradesh. Finally, the court declared that all the area of 7 sacred
hills are to be administered by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

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The temple is revered by 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 are mentioned in the Rig Veda and Asthadasa Puranas.
In these epics, Sri Venkateswara is described as the great bestower of boons. There are several
legends associated with the manifestation of the at Tirumala.
The Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared
here to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga. Hence the place has also got the
name Kaliyuga Vaikuntham and the Lord here is referred to as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam.
The temple is also known by other names like Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple, Tirupati Balaji
Temple. Venkateswara is known by many other names: Balaji, Govinda, and Srinivasa.[3]
The
temple is run by body Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) which is under direct control of
Andhra Pradesh Government. The head of TTD is appointed by Andhra Pradesh Government.
The revenue from this shrine is used by Andhra Pradesh government.
Tirumala Hills are part of Seshachalam Hills range. The hills are 853 metres (2,799 ft) above sea
level. The Hills comprises seven peaks, representing the seven heads of Adisesha. The temple
lies on the seventh peak -Venkatadri, on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini, a holy
water tank. Hence the temple is also referred to as "Temple of Seven Hills". Tirumala town
covers about 10.33 sq mi (26.75 km2
) in area.
The Temple is constructed in Dravidian architecture and is believed to be constructed over a
period of time starting from 300 AD. The Garbagruha (Sanctum Sanctorum) is called
AnandaNilayam. The presiding deity, Venkateswara, is in standing posture and faces east in
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.
The Temple premises had two modern Queue complex buildings to organise the pilgrim rush,
Tarigonda Vengamamba Annaprasadam complex for free meals to Pilgrims, hair tonsure
buildings and a number of pilgrim lodging sites.
It is the richest temple in the world in terms of donations received and wealth. The temple is
visited by about 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily (30 to 40 million people annually on average),

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while on special occasions and festivals, like the annual Brahmotsavam, the number of pilgrims
shoots up to 500,000, making it the most-visited holy place in the world.[8]
. In 2016, it was
reported that 27.3 million pilgrims visited the temple.
It is around 435 km (270.3 mi) from Vijayawada, 571.9 km (355.4 mi) from Hyderabad, 138 km
(85.7 mi) from Chennai, 291 km (180.8 mi) from Bangalore, and 781.2 km (485.4 mi)
from Visakhapatnam
There are several legends associated with the manifestation of the Lord in Tirumala. According
to one legend, the temple has a murti (deity) of Venkateswara, which it is believed shall remain
here for the entire duration of the present Kali Yuga.
Legend of Tirumala
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.
During Kali Yuga, Narada advised Rishis who were performing Yajna to decide who could be
given the fruits of yagna among Trimurtis. Bhrigu was sent to test Trimurtis. The sage who had
an extra eye in the sole of his foot visited Brahma and Shiva and went unnoticed in both these
locations. 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 eye
that was present in the sole of Bhrigu's foot. However Lakshmi finds it as an insult and had
left Vaikuntam onto Earth to Kolhapur and started meditating.
Vishnu bore human form as Srinivasa, left Vaikuntam, in search of Lakshmi, reached 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.
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

18
be with their always. Lakshmi stays with Him on His Chest on the left side while Padmavathi
rests on His Chest's right side.
History of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple
Medieval history
. The Pallava dynasty (9th century), the Chola dynasty (10th century), and
Vijayanagara pradhans (14th and 15th centuries) were committed devotees of Venkateswara. 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 other 13 acres) and ordered to use the
revenues generated from that land to be used for the celebration of major festivals in the
templeThe temple gained most of its current wealth and size under the Vijayanagara Empire,
with the donation of diamonds and gold. In 1517, Vijayanagara Emperor Krishnadevaraya, on
one of his many visits to the temple, donated gold and jewels, enabling the Ananda
Nilayam (inner shrine) roofing to be gilded. On 2 January 1517, Krishnadevaraya installed his
own statue in the temple and he has made several donations to the temple. After the decline of
Vijayanagara Empire, leaders from states such as the Kingdom of Mysore and the Gadwal
Samsthanam worshiped as pilgrims and gave 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 CA and 1369 CA, idols of Ranganatha
temple of Srirangapatnam were kept in this temple for safe keeping.[
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is the trust board which 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)[23]
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 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 of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple

19
View of 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). A 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 will lead into Garbhagriha. There are two tall copper images of
the Dvarapalakas Jaya-Vijaya on either side of this door. The thick 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 circumbulation paths in the temple. The first one is area

20
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
circumbulates Ananda Nilayam Vimanam. This path has sub-shrines dedicted 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), 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 will be in a standing posture with four hands
one in varada posture, one placed over thigh and 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 on the left. Pilgrims are not allowed to enter
the Garbhagriha (beyond Kulasekharapadi (path))
Ananda Nilayam Vimanam is the main Gopuram constructed over 'Garbhagriha. This is a three
storied Gopuram and has single Kalasam at its apex. It was 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 exact replica of deity inside Garbhagriha.
Dieties: Venkateswara, an avatar of Vishnu is the presiding deity of the temple. It is believed that
the Moolavirat is Swayambhu (self manifested).
A replica of Garbhagriha of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple depicting Left-SriDevi BhuDevi
Sametha Malayappa Swamy, Center-Lord Venkateswara Main Deity (Dhruva beram),Center
bottom-Bhoga Srinivasa, Right- Ugra Srinivasa, Sita Lakshmana Sametha Sri Rama, Sri
Krishna, Rukhmini

21
Pancha berams
As per Vaikanasa agamas, Venkateswara is represented by five deities (berams) including
the Moolavirat which are together referred to as Pancha beramulu (Pancha means five; Beram
means Deity). The five deities are Dhruva Beram (Moolavar), Kautuka Beram, Snapana Beram,
Utsava Beram, Bali Beram. All the pancha berams 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 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 Namam and jewels including vajra kiritam (diamond crown), Makarakundalams,
Nagabharanam, Makara Kanti, Saligrama haram, Lakshmi haram.[29]
Venkateswara's
consort, Lakshmi will be staying 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 deity
which was given to the temple in 614 AD by 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 will receive many
daily sevas (pleasures) on behalf of Moolavar and hence known as Bhoga Srinivasa (In
Telugu: Bhoga means Pleasure). This deity receives Ekanthaseva daily[30]
and
SahasraKalasabhisheka on Wednesdays.
3. Ugra Srinivasa or Snapana Beram - This deity represents the fearsome (Telugu: Ugra
means angry) aspect of Venkateswara. This deity is the main processional deity until
1330 CE when it was replaced by Malayappa swami deity.[29]
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.[32][31]
This deity receives daily abhishekam 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
beram) of the Temple and is always flanked by the deities of his

22
consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi. This deity receives all festivals like Brahmotsavams,
Kalyanotsavam, Dolotsavam, Vasanthotsavam, Sahasra deepalankarana seva, Padmavati
parinyotsavams, pushpapallaki, Anivara asthanam, Ugadi asthanam 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) will be
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 will be
held at the same time during which that particular days Tithi, sunrise and sunset time,
nakshatra are notified to the Venkateswara.
Other Murtis
Along with Pancha berams, garbha griha also hosts panchaloha deities
of Sita, Rama, Lakshmana, Rukmini, Sri Krishna swamy, Chakratalwar. The temple hosts the
deities of Garuda, Yoga Narasimha, Varadaraja, Kubera, Bedi Anjaneya in their respective sub-
shrines. The temple also host the deities of Anantha, Garuda, Viswaksena, Sugriva, Ramanuja.
Vimana Venkateswara is the exact replica icon of Venkateswara carved on the Ananda Nilayam
Viamana's second tier north west corner.
WORSHIP
Puja
The temple follows "Vaikhanasa Agama" tradition of worship, which is believed to be revealed
by Sage Vikhanasa and is propagated by his
disciples Atri, Bhrigu, Marichi, Kasyapa. Vaikhanasa is one of the principal traditions
of Hinduism and primarily worships Vishnu (and his associated Avatars) as the Supreme God.
This ancient texts recommends six times puja (worship) a 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.
Naivedhyam
Laddu offered to Venkateswara at Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala. See also Page 50 for more
details

23
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.[39][40]
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, jilebi, 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
More than 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims have Darshan of presiding deity, Venkateswara, while on
special occasions and festivals, like the annual Brahmotsavams, the number of pilgrims visiting
the temple shoots up to 500,000, making it the most-visited holy place in the world. 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 separate queue for pedestrian pilgrims. 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 6am - 6pm
Hair tonsuring
Many devotees have their head tonsured as "Mokku", an offering to God. The daily amount of
hair collected is over a ton. As per legend, when Venkateswara was hit on his head by a
shepherd, a small portion of his scalp became bald. This was noticed by Neela Devi,
a Gandharva princess. She felt "such an attractive face should not have a flaw". Immediately, she
cut a portion of her hair and, with her magical power, implanted it on his scalp. Venkateswara
noticed her sacrifice. As hair is a beautiful asset of 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.[
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

24
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.
Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Temple is a paradise of Festivals where over 433 festivals are being
observed in 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 during
month of October, is the major event of Sri Venkateswara Temple. During brahmotsavams the
processional deity Malayappa along with his consorts SriDevi 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 pandiri 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 entrance which
encircles 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 vahanams starting from early morning to late night.[51]
The
other annual festivals include Rama Navami, Janmashtami, Ugadi, Teppotsavam (Float Festival),
Sri Padmavati Parinayotsavams, Pushpa yagam, Pushpa pallaki, Vasanthotsavam (spring
festival) conducted in March–April, were celebrated with great splendor.
Sri Venkateswara Suprabhatam is the first and pre-dawn seva performed to Venkateswara at
Sayana Mandapam inside sanctum sanctorum of Tirumala Temple. 'Suprabhatam' is a Sanskrit
term which literally means ‘Good Morning’ and is meant to wake up the Lord from His celestial
sleep.[52][53]
Sri Venkateswara Suprabhatam hymns were composed by Prathivadhi Bhayankaram
Annangaracharya during 13th century and consists of 70 slokas in four parts including
Suprabhatam(29), Stotram(11), Prapatti(14) and Mangalasasanam(16). The thirteenth sloka of
Sri venkateswara Suprabhatam is as follows:
IAST
śrīmannabhīṣṭavaradākhilalokabandho
śrīśrīnivāsajagadekadayaikasindho
śrīdevatāgṛhabhujāntaradivyamūrte
śrīveṅkaṭācalapate tava suprabhātam ।
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 an auspicious dawn to Thee. । 13 ।

25
Tallapaka Annamacharya (Annamayya), the poet saint[54]
of 14th century, one of the greatest
Telugu poets and a great 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.[
Sapthagirisha or Lord of 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:
Lord Anjaneyas magnificent statue in Tirumala
 Vrushabhadri—Hill of Nandi, the vahana of Shiva and Incarnation of Vishnu
 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 are located here
 Venkatadri—Hill of Venkateswara
Sub Shrines:There is a small shrine dedicated to Varadaraja located in Vimana-pradakshinam,
towards left of Vendivakili (silver entrance) while entering temple.[58]
It is not known when this
deity was installed. The stone deity[58]
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

26
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 Sri 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 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 (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 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 sannidhi and Srivari potu(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 preciding 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 in the
13th century A.D.
Famous Devotees: Ramanuja (1017–1137) the most important Acharya of Sri Vaishnavism. was
responsible for managing the worshipping procedures and other affairs of the Sri Venkateswara
temple. He is credited for gifting the holy conch and the discus, the weapons of Vishnu during
his visit. So he is considered as 'Acharya'(Guru or teacher) to the himself. He established the
Pedda Jeeyar Matam. He has a sannidhi(shrine) inside the temple.

27
Statue of Pada-kavita Pitaamaha, Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya (or Annamayya) - official
songmaster of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple
Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya (or Annamayya) (22 May 1408 – 4 April 1503) was the official
songmaster of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, and a Telugu composer who composed
around 36000 keertanas, many of which were in praise of Venkateswara, the presiding deity of
the temple.
There are many ancient temples nearby Tirumala. Sri Padamavathi Temple is temple
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 the Tirupati city.

28

29
I N S C R I P T I O N S
The glorious history of the reigning deity of Tirumala, Lord Venkateswara, and of the richest
shrine, is known to the world, thanks to hundreds of inscriptions engraved on the walls of
Tirumala as well as in other TTD-run temples here. But blame it on TTD's mega Ananda
Nilayam Anantha Swarnamayam (gold coating) project of the temple, about 80 inscriptions are
going to disappear permanently from the public view.
It was Mahant Prayagdas who started it all by doing a thorough research on the inscriptions in
1920. Later, epigraphist and archaeologist Sadhu Subramanya Shastri took over the mantle as he
did research for 11 years from 1922 to 1933 by translating hundreds of Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu
and Kannada inscriptions to English, using the `eye copy' technique.
Shastri brought to light several inscriptions engraved on temple walls, pillars and gopurams.
About 640 inscriptions in Tirumala shrine, 340 in Sri Govindaraja Swamy temple, 170 in almost
half a dozen temples of TTD located in and around Tirupati saw the light of the day.
All these 1,150 inscriptions were later brought out in the form of books by Shastri, which is
considered one of the greatest works done on the Tirumala inscriptions as yet. Of these, 236
belonged to the Pallava, Chola and Pandya dynasties, while 169 belonged to the age of Saluva
dynasty. While 251 belonged to Achutaraya period, 130 to Sadasivaraya period and another 135
originated in Aravidu dynasty.
A majority of these inscriptions are in Tamil, followed by Kannada and a few in Telugu. The
inscription belonging to 830 AD during the time of Pallava king Vijayadanti Verman is
considered the oldest one. With the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) launching the gold
coating work last year, doubts cropped up over the safety of the inscriptions. However, TTD took
care to digitise all the inscriptions present inside the walls of sanctum of first `prakaram' and
handed over the estampage works to ASI, Mysore.
Senior epigraphist K Muniratnam Reddy said 80 inscriptions engraved on the north, south and
west walls of first `prakara' inside the sanctorum have been estampaged (taking the imprints of
the inscriptions before gold malam works are done) for the purpose.

30
"We have done the process on 80 inscriptions. Of which, 43 measured over 16 ft in length so that
the letters engraved on them would not be destroyed. Of the 80 inscriptions, 55 are in Tamil, 15
in Kannada and 10 in Telugu, which include the enumerable and precious donations by Pallava
Samavai (9 AD), Pridhivi Mahendra Verman, Cholas of Tamil Nadu, Vijayanagara rulers of
Andhra and Karnataka,'' Muniratnam said.
1
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is planning to gold plate the outer walls of the
sanctum sanctorum of Tirumala Tirupati Balaji Temple. When the outer wall is covered with
gold sheets, it will also cover up ancient inscriptions found on the wall. To save the centuries old
inscriptions, TTD and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) are planning to preserve the
inscriptions and digitize it and upload on a website.
The inscriptions mainly narrate the socio-economic, political and religious situation that had
existed during a particular period and is of great help to historians. There are also plans to
maintain a replica of the temple with inscriptions at the Tirumala museum.
Sadhu Subrahmanya Sastry, the TTD’s former epigraphist-cum-archaeologist, copied 1,150 of
the inscriptions in 1922 employing the ‘eye copy’ technique. These included 640 inscriptions in
the area that will be covered up.
But the ASI’s Mysore-based epigraphy wing, equipped to deal with such work, recently
completed taking estampages of the Tamil, Telugu and Kannada inscriptions. This was done by
pasting litho paper on the wet wall and running rollers over it after spreading an adhesive paste
made of lamp black and Indian ink.While most of the inscriptions copied from the ‘Jagati’,
‘Kumudam’ and ‘Patti’ (floor level) areas of the northern wall pertain to the Vijayanagara era
(13th century) including from the Sangama, Saluva, Thuluva and Araveedu dynasties, a few
relate to the Chola, Pandya and Pallava periods.
FOOT NOTE
https://archive.org/stream/inscriptionsofac014883mbp/inscriptionsofac014883mbp_djvu.txt
Full text of "Inscriptions Of Achuttaraya's Vol- IV"
INSCRIPTIONS
ACHYUTARAYA'S TIME From 1530 A D. to 1542 A.D Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams
Inscriptions Vol IV
INSCRIPTIONS OF ACHYUTARAYA'S TIME From 1530 A.D to 1542 A D. Translated and
Edited by Pandit. V. VIJAYARAGHAVACHARYA Devasthanam Epigraphist
.Assisted by G.A. NARAYAN, B A., Devasthanam Archaeological Assistant
WITH A SUMMARY OF INSCRIPTIONS, INDEX ETC.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams,Tirupati,1998
TIRUMALA TIRUPATI DEVASTHANAMS INSCRIPTIONS Vol IV
INSCRIPTIONS OF ACHYUTARAYA'S TIME (From 1530 A D to 1542 A D)

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MYSTERY : Why Did One Door Lock Of Tirumala Temple Refuse To Open That Day
In the early hours of Wednesday the 18th of February, 2015..
A sannidhi golla (the cowherd of Temple),the Jeeyangar, the Archakas (the temple priests) the
Peshkar of Tirumala Temple and all those associated with the formal procedure of opening the
Bangaru Vakili (the Golden doorway) to the Garbha Griha of Tirumala Temple, to wake up the
holy Lord Sri Venkateswara, have gathered right in front of the Bangaru Vakili..
For your info, the distance between the Bangaru Vakili to the Garbha Griha, wherein lies the
principal deity or the moola virat of Lord Sri Venkateswara, is about seventy feet..
Every night after the Ekantha Seva is performed to Sri Varu, the doors of the main doorway or
what is traditionally called the Bangaru Vakili are closed, locked and sealed at 12.30 a.m with a
triplicate locking system.

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While one of the keys to this system lies with the Temple archaka, the second one lies with the
Peshkar of the Temple and the third with the Jeeyangar..
On that day..
On one of the very few eventful days in the history of Tirumala Temple, the visiting honorable
President of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Sri Maithripala Sirisena, was scheduled to attend the
Suprabhatha Seva that morning along with his entourage.
Suprabhatha Seva, as you all may be knowing is the first Arjitha Seva performed at the Tirumala
Temple, at 3 a.m everyday, to wake up the holy Lord Sri Venlateswara and His divine consorts
from their celestial sleep (yoga nidra)..
This pre dawn seva is performed at the Sayana Mandapa that’s there inside the Sanctum
Sanctorum of the Tirumala Temple..
But before the commencement of this all important seva, there are a few important rituals that
would to be performed everyday, inside the Garbha Griha of the Temple, strictly in accordance
with the rules laid down by the Agama Sutras.
These rituals include the opening of the Bangaru Vakili first, after which the Sannidhi Golla
would step inside the sanctum sanctorum area and later the archakas, the Jeeyangar and the
paricharika follow him chanting the sacred Vedic hymns.
Then, the Sannidhi Golla would enter the Garbha Griha and after paying his obeisance to the
holy Lord, would light up the oil lamps – other than the two eternal lamps – that are there in
front of the Moola Virat.
Later, the archakas and the Jeeyangar would enter the Garbha Griha after which the curtains will
be brought down for a brief period.
(Why is that a sannidhi golla or a cow herd is privileged to enter the Garbha Griha of Tirumala
Temple first everyday and what is that the archakas and the Jeeyangar do inside the Garbha
Griha after the curtains are drawn..??… Well.. There’s a long story behind these two curious
questions which I shall explain in two different articles, later).. PERIOD
At the same time, on that eventful day of 18th February, 2015 all the important officials
belonging to the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams Board (TTD) were waiting outside the
Temple, at the Maha Dwaram, as part of the official protocol, to ceremoniously receive the
visiting honorable President of Sri Lanka..

33
And also at the same time..
The Current Day Bangaru Vakili Of The Holy Tirumala Temple
An Archaka, reverentially placed the key of the door in the hand of the statue of the
Dwarapalaka, that’s there on the right side of the Bangaru Vakili .. After that, he offered his
pranama (salutation) to that age old statue.
Later, he took out the key, which he had earlier placed in the hand of the Dwaarapalaka, and
proceeded to open the lock of the Bangaru Vakili..
Firstly, he carefully inserted the key into the door lock and as every one standing behind him was
silently observing him, he tried to click open the lock as casually as he does everyday.
To his surprise, the lock didn’t open in the first attempt..
He was surprised..

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Then he made another attempt.. The same result.. Tried again.. And again.. And again.. And
again..
Still the lock didn’t open despite all those attempts..
The hapless archaka then turned back and looked helplessly at everyone standing behind him..
His face was full of sweat that moment.
Then the other two authorized key holders hurriedly opened the other two locks of the Bangaru
Vakili, with the keys they have in their hands. and then tried to open the third lock that was
refusing to open.
But quite mysteriously they too have failed in all their attempts in opening the lock.
That left them all flabbergasted.
Then everyone, one after the other, still made a few more attempts to open the lock but shocking
them furthermore that particular lock had not only refused to open but had also not allowed the
keys to go out of the keyhole.
Which means they are jammed inside the keyhole…
SHOCKING..
This time there’s sweat on everyone’s face.. However, that sweat was not caused by the
strenuous efforts they have thus far made to open the lock but by the fear signals that their minds
were sending to their bodies, that moment..
A fear of guilt..
A fear of punishment..
More importantly, they have all, at that moment, failed to notice that a few valuable minutes that
are so vital and precious before the commencement of the Suprabhata seva have already gone
wasted by their useless attempts.

35
The honorable Sri Lankan president was already on the way and was expected to enter the main
Temple any moment.
It was then that the panic button was pressed by the Temple staff there..
Mobile phones were drawn out..
Numbers have been dialed up..
Desperate calls were made..
Every effort was attempted..
But in vain..
And in the process a few more precious moments have also been lost…
And then…
Heightening the drama furthermore, the news about the arrival of the Sri Lankan President at the
Maha Dwaram of the Temple had reached those dejected Temple staff members, who at that
time were stranded in front of the Babgaru Vakili waiting for some divine help to come from
some corner of the celestial world.
As quite a few precious moments have already been lost in making vain attempts to open the
lock, the vital info about the lock not opening was not sent on time to the higher officials of the
TTD board.
And it was then and exactly during those weak and helpless moments, a couple of members
belonging to the Temple staff have expressed their regrets to their higher officials about the
grave spiritual error they all have inadvertently committed on that morning ..
But that was too late
As the honorable Sri Lankan President had by then entered the main Temple area accompanied
by all the major officials of the TTD Board including it’s newly appointed Executive Officer Sri
D Sambasiva Rao..
It was then..
That the shocking news about the lock of Bangaru Vakili not opening had finally reached the E
O..
He just remained numb for a few seconds..
However, he quickly came out of that state and had ordered for some quick measures to break
open the lock..
Immediately, the gas welders were pressed into service.. Using gas welding machines, the
welders have quite successfully opened the lock giving great relief to the entire temple staff
there, that day..
Finally, according to the news sources, at about 2.48 a.m the all important sacred Vedic
procedure, that precedes the Suprabhatha seva, began in the Garbha Griha of the sacred Tirumala
temple.

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Later, this was what the deputy executive officer of the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams (TTD)
board, Sri Chinnamgaari Ramana had said – while reporting this rare incident that occurred for
the first time in the five thousand year history of the Tirumala Temple – to the news agencies,
that day..
“There’s no reality in the rumor that the Suprabhatha Seva was delayed today.. I swear upon holy
Lord Sri Venkateswara Himself and say that it had commenced exactly on time at 3 a.m.”
However, at this point of time there’s no need for me to guess and write how much time, on the
whole, was lost while trying to open that lock and later to break it open that day..
I also know my beloved readers are wise enough and can as well imagine and understand how
much precious time must have been lost during that entire lock opening and lock breaking
process that day..
Honestly, we have no other option except going by what the deputy E O had said that day, just
because he had sworn by the name of Lord Sri Venkateswara under Whom he’s working..
Even otherwise things went off well, later in the day at the Tirumala Temple, albeit with a little
anxious waiting for the honorable President of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Sri Maithripala
Sirisena..

37
But Why In The First Case That One Particular Lock Of The Bangaru Vakili Had Refused To
Open That Day
The official explanation given to this question was “It’s an old lock.. The internal links and
levers of that particular lock were found broken in our inquiry which was why the key could not
be penetrated beyond a certain point and in turn had got jammed inside”.. PERIOD
Sounds pretty logical..
At least from a human and scientific point of view..
But is that all the TTD want to reveal to the devotees or is there anything else that they are hiding
from us..???..
And then what about the most crucial divine point of view in this case..???
Yes.. The TTD is certainly hiding something very vital from us which when looked from a
divine point of view would give a more meaningful justification to the whole drama..
Now..
This was exactly what had happened that day and it was for this reason a couple of Temple staff,
may be the Archakas, regretted that spiritual error during those helpless moments..
Please go through..
In their eagerness to welcome the honorable Sri Lankan President and just to enable him spend a
few extra minutes in the presence of the holy Lord Sri Venkateswara, the over zealous authorities
of the Tirumala Temple, have decided to wake up the Lord from His Yoga Nidra five minutes
ahead of time.
Which means, instead of opening the doors of the Bangaru Vakili at 2.20 a m, as they would
normally do everyday, the authorities on that eventful day, have decided to open them at 2.15
a.m which was spiritually a grave error.
The readers here need to know that all the sevas and kainkaryams to Lord Venkateswara in
Tirumala Temple are performed strictly in accordance with the timings and guidelines
recommended by the Agama Sastras.. It means no one is either empowered to amend them nor to
alter.
Despite knowing this point well why is that the TTD authorities have tried to disturb the celestial
sleep of the Lord.. They all are aware that anyone trying to do so, even though inadvertently,
would be punished by the Lord..
Still why is that they have dared to do that..??..
And this particular incident, I can very vehemently say, is nothing but a strong testimony to the
mild wrath of the Lord.. Although the TTD officials are now trying to downsize the magnitude of
this whole incident, by saying
“That was a just a human error and there’s no need to look at anything beyond that “, they are,
however, not willing to talk about that great spiritual error which they have, either knowingly or
unknowingly, committed that morning.
Finally, as an ardent devotee of Lord Sri Venkateswara am not at all convinced with what the
TTD is now saying and on the contrary I firmly believe that this one sided decision of the TTD
authorities,
“To wake up the holy Lord Sri Venkateswara five minutes ahead of time, must have certainly
infuriated the Lord and as a result everything on that day had gone for a toss in the holy Tirumala
Temple”.
AGREE..??.

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CONCLUSION
There’s no room either for an error or indiscipline in the kingdom of Lord Venkateswara.. He
strictly follows a discipline and expects us to follow the same..
Therefore the discussion here is not just about the question of waking up the Lord five minutes in
advance but about the undisciplined attitude of the TTD authorities who could not weigh their
options properly and tried to give more importance to a man than to the One who created him..
THE DISCLAIMER
Before standing up to raise any criticism against me, please note that this whole article as well as
my observations thereupon are based entirely on a news item that was published by popular
Telugu newspaper SAAKSHI on Thursday, the 19th of February, 2015.. If you have access to
this newspaper today you may refer to it for clarification.
For eleven amazingly
Spell binding true stories that are based on real life miraculous incidents that occurred in the
lives of some ordinary people and some extraordinary personalities and also to know about one
powerful New Sri Venkateswara Maha Mantra Pooja that is changing thousands of lives all over
the world,

39
RICHES
Tirupati temple has over 9,000 kg of gold reserves, says TTD
The TTD said that it has 7,235 kg of the yellow metal deposited with two nationalized banks
under different gold deposit schemes and around 1,934 kg gold in its treasury.
Ever wondered how much gold the world's richest Hindu temple at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh
owns? According to officials, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the
affairs of the famous Sri Venkateswara Temple, has pure gold reserves of over 9,000 kg.
The TTD said that it has 7,235 kg of the yellow metal deposited with two nationalized banks
under different gold deposit schemes and around 1,934 kg gold in its treasury, which includes
1,381 kg which it recently got back from Punjab National Bank last month following the end of a
three-year term of gold deposit scheme.
The TTD Board, the highest decision-making body, is yet to decide on the bank where 1,381 kg
gold will be deposited. According to sources, it was studying various gold deposit schemes and
would opt for the one which offers the best returns. 553 kg of gold in TTD treasury comprises of
small jewellery and other items offered by the devotees.TTD often avoids revealing details of
gold deposits but the controversy over the seizure of 1,381 kg of gold by election authorities in
Tamil Nadu last month made the body come out with the details.A PNB truck carrying the gold
from its Chennai branch to Tirupati was stopped and seized by the election authorities in Tamil
Nadu's Tiruvallur district on April 17 during vehicle checking in view of the polling scheduled
the next day.As the TTD initially denied that the seized gold belong to it, it kicked up a row with
the allegations that the temple authorities did not even know that the temple gold was being
brought back. The temple body, however, defended its stand saying the gold can't be called
TTD's till it reaches its treasury.The gold reached TTD treasury only two days later after the
PNB submitted all documents to the Income Tax department to prove that it was temple gold and

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was being transported to Tirupati to hand it over to TTD on completion of term of gold deposit
scheme.
TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal came out with all details even as Chief Secretary L
V Subramanyam ordered a probe into the alleged lapses into the release and transportation of the
gold.Balaji temple, as the hill shrine is also popularly known, had deposited 1,311 kg gold with
PNB in 2016. The bank returned the same with an interest of 70 kg gold. TTD revealed that
5,387 kg of its gold is with the State Bank of India and another 1,938 kg is with the Indian
Overseas Bank.For last two decades, TTD had been keeping its gold in various nationalized
banks under gold deposit schemes.After the announcement of gold monetization scheme by the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 2015, TTD deposited gold reserves under short, medium and
long term schemes in various public-sector banks but only after the central bank brought certain
amendments to ensure that the interest will be paid in the form of gold.Believed to have been
constructed over a period starting 300 AD, the temple attracts 50,000 to one lakh pilgrims every
day. The number on special occasions like the annual Brahmotsavam and festivals goes up to 4-5
lakh.
According to officials, the devotees make offerings in the form of cash, gold and silver jewellery,
property deeds and even demat shares. The temple earns Rs 1,000 crore to Rs.1,200 crore from
‘Hundi' collections or offerings by devotees every year. During 2019-20, the TTD expects an
overall revenue of about Rs 3,116 crore including Rs 1,231 crore from offerings and Rs 846
crore from interest on deposits in nationalized and private banks. According to sources, the
temple has over Rs 12,000 crore in fixed deposits in various banks. It is also believed to be
earning about 100 kg of gold as annual interest on gold deposits in the banks.However, the actual
wealth of the temple is beyond anybody's guess as the main deity at Balaji temple and several
other processional idols are adorned with diamond-studded gold ornaments and antiques said to
be worth hundreds of crores.
Tirumala Tirupati Yatra
Golden Chariot-Vasanthotsav
In the afternoon of the sixth day, a festival of spring is celebrated to Malayappa Swamy with
Sridevi and Bhudevi in the Raganayaka Mandapa of the temple.In the evening of the same day,
Malayappa swamy mounts the golden chariot with Sridevi and Bhudevi.
Lord Venkateswara with his consorts, parading the holy streets of Tirumala in a golden chariot,
presents a feast to the eyes of his devotees, emitting a splendid sheen while the sun scatters his
crimson rays at dusk.No Unjal Seva on day of Golden Chariot procession.On the day of
Hanuman as the Car, the daily utsava (uyyalaseva) in the evening will not be held. The festival
of the golden chariot celebrated after the spring festival is known as ‘Suvarna Ratha Ranga
Dolotsava.’During this festival, people in the society of the kalyana katta decorate the golden
umbrella on the chariot.

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Suvarna Ratha Ranga Dolotsava.
Every year there will be annual Vasantotsavas in Tirumala temple for 3 day ending on Chaitra
Purnima. Devotees can participate in this on payment of prescribed fees.On Chaitra Shuddha
Trayodashi morning Sri Malayappa Swami along with his consorts comes to the Vasantha
Mantapam on the south east corner of the temple.There will be vasantotsava abhishekas,
nivedana and asthana for them and returns to the temple.

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On the second day after Bangaru Rathotsava (Golden Chariot procession), there will be a
similar vasantotsava again.
On the third day, Rukmini and Sri Krishna, Sri Sita, Rama and Lakshamana in different
palanquins reach the vasantha Mantapa besides Sri Malayappa Swami in procession and
return to the temple the same evening after the festivitiel.
UNKNOWN FACTS OF THE TEMPLE
We all know that Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam is the richest and one of the most revered
shrines in India. But, there are so many interesting mystical facts out there beyond the
commonly known trivia. Like the fact that the idol of Lord Balaji wears real hair. Or, that the
sacred objects for worship are not locally sourced. How about this one – the idol of the deity
has a tendency to sweat!
1. Secret of an unknown village
For the ritual worship of the deities housed in the Tirupati Balaji Temple, the flowers,
clarified butter, milk, butter-milk, holy leaves etc. are sourced from an undisclosed village
located about twenty two kilometres away from Tirupati. The little village has never been
seen or visited by any outsider except its own people.
2. Idol of the deity is not in the centre
The idol of Lord Tirupati Balaji placed may appear to be standing in the centre of the
sanctum sanctorum, but technically, it is not so. The idol is actually placed in the right
hand corner of the shrine.
3. Real hair of Balaji
The hair worn by Lord Balaji is silky, smooth, tangle-free, and absolutely real. The story
behind those faultless locks goes like this – Lord Balaji, during his regime on earth, lost
some of his hair in an unexpected mishap. A Gandharva Princess named Neela Devi
quickly took note of this incident, and cut a portion of her glorious mane. She offered her
chopped locks humbly to the deity and requested him to plant them on his head. Pleased
with her devotion, the god accepted the kind offering and promised that whoever visits
his shrine and sacrifices his/her hair at his feet will be blessed. Ever since, it has been a
custom among devotees to shave their head off in the temple before or after their desires
are fulfilled.
4. Sea waves behind Lord Balaji’s idol
You may want to hear to believe, but the unchangeable truth is that the sound of
enormous sea waves can be heard if one puts his/her ear on the back of the deity’s image
housed in the shrine.
5. Perpetual lit lamps

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The light of an ardent devotee’s heart for the Divine never gets extinguished, so does the
earthen lamps placed before the idol of the deity in the sanctum sanctorum of the Tirupati
Balaji Temple. There are no reliable records about the time when these lamps were lit and
who lit them. All that is known is that they have been burning since a long time and will
continue to do so.
6. Venkateswara Swamy had once appeared in real
Long ago, in 19th century India, the King of the region imposed death sentence on twelve
people for committing a heinous crime. The twelve of them were hung by their necks
until death. Post death, the body of the deceased criminals were left hanging on the walls
of the temple of Balaji. It was at that time the deity himself appeared.
7. Misty idol
For an inexplicable reason, the back of the idol always remains moist, despite the priests
labouring to keep it dry.
8. Flowers offered to Lord comes out at Verpedu
Going by the rule book, the temple priests do not throw the flowers offered to Lord Balaji
during morning worship out of the GarbhaGudi or Sanctum Sanctorum. So, they are
thrown into the waterfalls which flow behind the rear side of the idol. The priests,
however, refrain from looking at the back side of the holy deity for the rest of the day.
Surprisingly, the discarded flowers can be seen at a place known as Yerpedu which lies
20 kilometres away from Tirupati.
9.Idol survives strong chemical reaction
It is a scientifically known fact that when raw camphor or green camphor (Pachai
Karpooram), a derivative of Cinnamomum camphora tree, is applied on any stone, it
leads to cracks and fissures on the object. The idol of Shri Tirupati Balaji, however, is
resistant to the volatile chemical reactions of camphor, and bears no marks, even though
it remains smeared with the substance most of the time.
10.Sweaty deity
Lord Balaji’s image may be carved out of stone, but it is fully infused with life and very
much alive, if reports are to be believed. The idol of the holy deity maintains a
temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit, even though the surroundings are cool due to the
steep location of the temple (3000 feet). Every morning, after the holy bath known as
Abhishekham, droplets of sweat appear on the image of Balaji which have to be wiped
off with a silken fabric by the priests. On Thursdays, when the priests remove the
ornaments of the idol for a holy bath, they come off with a sensation of warmth.

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11. Kapila Theertham-The pond which is spread over 1.5 acres is believed to be brought
by Garuda from Vaikuntham to Tirumala Hills and hence considered most sacred. Pasupu
Theertham Tirumala Pasupu Theertham Tirumala is one of the popular theertham. Pasupu
Theertham is a sacred water body in Tirumala, which is also called as punya theertham.
This pond is situated very close to the main Sri Venkateswara Temple and can be reached
by foot. It is also regarded very close to the celestial
12. The Garuthmantha deity is six feet tall and faces west looking
towards Venkateswara inside Garbhagriha. Bhuvaraha Swamy Temple is the temple dedicated to
Varaha an incarnation of Vishnu. This temple is believed to be older than Sri Venkateswara
Temple. The temple lies on the Northern Banks of Swami Pushkarini.
13. No electric lights: The light of an ardent devotee's heart for the Divine never gets
extinguished, so does the earthen lamps placed before the idol of the deity in the sanctum
sanctorum of the Tirupati Balaji Temple. There are no reliable records about the time when these
lamps were lit and who lit them.

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 TIRUPATI: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams which manage the hill shrine of Lord
Venkateswara near here, today approved a Rs 2,678 crore budget for fiscal 2016-17.Tirumala
Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman Chadalavada Krishnamurthy and Executive Officer, D
Sambhasiva Rao said of the total budget, cash offerings to be made by over two crore devotees in
the Hundi (offering box) was expected to net about Rs 1,010 crore while interest on investments
deposited in various nationalized bank ..
Sri Venkateswara Temple is located in the Tirpuati region in the state of Andhra Pradesh
 In India, the temple is known by many names like Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple, Tirupati
Balaji Temple.
 Everyday the temple receives thousands of people from all walks of life.
Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is one of the most revered shrines in India. Located at the
earthly point where Lord Vishnu resided in the age of kali, this shrine is of immense importance
to India, in terms of both religion and heritage.
This temple is dedicated to Sri Venkateshwara, a form of Vishnu. It is believed that Lord Vishnu
sent this avatar to save mankind from the worries and troubles of Kali Yuga; which is also one
of the reasons why the temple goes by the name of Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam.
We are sure most of you have come across different legends and stories related to the idol
located at the temple or the shrine itself. And considering how fascinating these legends are, we
curated a list of 10 lesser-known facts about Tirumala Tirupati temple that will leave
you amazed.
1. The light of the lamp kept before the idol of the deity never extinguishes. There is no reliable
explanation on why this happens but all we that it has been burning for a long time and like an
ardent worshipper’s devotion, it will never be extinguished.
2. Now this will come across as a surprise especially to those who have visited the temple and have
prayed to the idol of Lord Tirupati Balaji. If you observe carefully then you will see that the idol
in the shrine is not placed in the centre of the sanctum; it is placed at the right-hand corner of the
shrine.
3. In the year 2009, the Geographical Indication tag was accorded to the ladoos served
as Prashad in the Tirupati Temple. These ladoos have a distinct and unique taste and are
available at an affordable cost of 15-20 rupees.
4. The shrine was gifted diamonds and gold by the Vijayanagara empire, who himself was a
devotee and patron. Over the years, the facilities of the temple as and when different emperors
(Pallava and Chola clans) ruled over the place.
5. The construction of the first temple at Tirupati is associated with the legend of King
Thondaiman. The Tamil ruler, King Thondaiman had a dream of Lord Vishnu and it was then
when he decided to get a temple constructed in his name.
6. There are multiple legends associated with the moist back of the idol. The back of the idol
always remains moist and every morning the priests clean it with a silk cloth.
7. The priests at the temple do not throw flowers that are offered to Lord Balaji during the morning
puja. These flowers are thrown into the waterfalls that flow behind the rear-side of the idol.
8. If you keep your ear close to the idol’s back, you will hear the sound of enormous seas waves.

47
9. All the samagiri or items of offerings that are used during the puja are bought from an
undisclosed village. No one really knows from where the flowers, clarified butter, milk, butter-
milk, the holy leaves etc. are sourced. This village is far off and has never been visited by any
outsider.
10. Tirupati Balaji is recorded as one of the richest and most visited temples in India. The temple
receives 75,000 to 90,000 pilgrims every day. Along with that, the shrine celebrates some Utsav
(festival) almost every day attracting an n number of pilgrims. However, owing to the spread of
COVID-19, the shrine has not attracted any pilgrims for the past 2 months as the Darshan have
shut down.
11.Is the idol of the deity in the Tirupati temple actually the idol of a Jain God?
Demystifying the myth behind the Idol of Lord venkateswara.
References to the deity, his idol, and the region around Tirumala can be obtained from a
range of ancient scriptures such as Varaha Purana, Padma Purana, Garuda Purana,
Brahmanda Purana, Markandeya Purana, Harivamsa Purana, Vamana Purana, Brahma
Purana, Brahmottara Purana, Aditya Purana, Skanda Purana and Bhavishyottara Purana. Of
which Venkatachala Mahatmya and the Varaha Purana & Bhavishyottara Purana pertaining
to the manifestation of the Lord at Tirumala, are of particular interest.
Jain poet Ilango Adigal referring to Lord Venkateswara as “Thiru Vengada
Mudaiyavar” in his epic work in Silappadikaram, written in 2nd century BC the ,had
given the following wonderful description of the holy Lord Sri Venkateswara and His
existence on the Venkatachala hills. “..With amazing ponds,beautiful lakes and fabulous
flower gardens all around Him,Lord Vishnu Himself (Sengan Nediyan) is majestically
standing alone as the ever handsome Pundareekaksha on the sacred Vengadam hill.. ” “He
is bearing Sankha Chakras on His arms and Kausthubham on His chest.. He is also adorned
with the Pattu Peethambrams (Silk Golden Robes) around His loins and is constantly served
by the Sun God and the Moon..”
In fact Rig Veda, according modern scholars which was written around 2000 BC- verse
X.155.1 makes an indirect reference to the temple. One such translation goes as:
“The person, devoid of wealth and vision, is implored to go to the hill which burns up all
evil (vikata for Venkata) and drives away all obstacles to peace and prosperity. The call of
the rishi Sirimbitha has obviously not gone in vain".
2. As Assumed by many the statue is not covered on all days, every friday Abhisekam of the
main deity is performed while the devotees are having darshan of the Lord.
The Lord idol is completely visible during abhisekam, it is answer for those who make false or
baseless claims that the idol is always hidden with jewelry.
Exceptional and rare features of the Lord Idol
 The Idol has a crown on the Lord’s Head.
 The Idol has four hands, 2 hands raised up seemed to be holding something(curled),
lower hands one is varada mudra(right hand) and other is unusual one(the posture of

48
left hand-the hand is straight down; bent at the wrist and is found lightly resting, just
below His left hip.. Such an unusual hand position, according to the Vedic scriptures
,is known as the Katya Vilambita Hastha Mudra”
 The idol has curly hairs until his shoulders.
 The Idol has srivatsa(goddess Lakshmi) mark on his chest.
 The idol appears to wear a dhoti down the waist.
 The idol stands on lotus platform.
 The Idol height is around 9′4″ tall.
None of these features are found on any jain idol found till date, except for the standing
resemblance which the jains give to, for their claim.
4. Jainism is a sect of sanatana dharma of this holy land, it is one of the sects and its traditions
that survived till date. In ancient India many different sects originated vowing to different
ideologies and approaches to truth, all of them co-existed, which is the beauty of this diversified
culture. with time, many such sects perished only a few popular survived till date. Bhagavan
Rishabhanath is the first Tirthankara of jain sect and was considered an avatar of vishnu in the
puranas. The sanatana dharma is accomodative of all ideologies and sects. Don’t bring friction
by making baseless claims, truth can be achieved by any path, provided you are sincere enough.
Tirupati : The sacred golden chariot procession of Lord Venkateswara being taken out on the
penultimate day of Navaratri Brahmotsavam festival at Tirumala in Tirupati
TTD grapples with charges of fund diversion, in performance of rituals and missing
jewellery
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which administers the temple of Lord Venkateswara
known for its vast riches, is facing a plethora of controversies ranging from the charges of
corruption, diversion of funds, violation in the performance of rituals and misappropriation
of jewellery.
The fact that the allegations are being levelled by former head priest of the hill temple AV
Ramana Deekshitulu has taken both the management and the pilgrim fraternity by storm.
Not only the 20,000-odd strong work force of the TTD but also the multitude of followers
of Lord Venkateswara spread all across the planet remain confused with both Mr.
Deekshitulu and the temple administration trading charges and denials.
Mr. Deekshitulu, who initially confined himself to the charges of corruption, violations in
the performance of rituals and harassment/interference by the temple authorities later raised
diversion of funds and siphoning off the temple jewellery. The situation worsened when
Mr. Deekshitulu alleged that the pink diamond akin to the one adorned to the deity was
auctioned in Geneva recently for a sum running into hundreds of crores.
Perturbed at the gravity of the allegations, TTD Executive officer Anil kumar Singhal
jumped into action and clarified that the entire volume of jewellery of the Lord was safe
and brushed aside any chances of misappropriation. He also clarified that the precious stone
said to have broken during the Garuda seva in 2001 was not pink diamond but a pink ruby
the pieces of which were in the safe custody of the peishkar as authenticated by Justice
Jagannadha Rao in his report.
Former Executive Officer IYR Krishna Rao in his report submitted to the government
in 2010 also mentioned that the broken piece was a ruby. He also said the jewel was

49
donated by the Maharaja of Mysore in 1945 and the price was pegged at ₹45 at that
time.
Even in the past when there was a similar public outcry with regard to the missing of
some antique ornaments from the temple treasury, the government had constituted a
six-member committee led by Justice Wadhwa, a retired judge of the Supreme Court,
who in his 187-page report submitted to the then Chairman of the TTD’s specified
Authority J. Sathyanarayana in 2011 said all ornaments were intact and in order.
Justice Wadhwa had also stated that during the year-long verification of the jewels
conducted in phases, the panel cross-checked the ornaments and their historical
background with some standard publications brought out by the Tirumala temple and
was convinced that all the ornaments matched the inventory books being maintained
by the TTD since 1933.
The panel also made a random check of the ornaments of the Tiruchanoor temple and
had recommended upgrading of the internal security at the temple besides suggesting a
periodical verification of the ornaments.
The panel is believed to have taken the unsavoury incident wherein another head priest
working at the temple of Lord Kodanda Rama Swamy at Tirupati, driven by abject
poverty, had mortgaged 10 pieces of gold and diamond jewellery belonging to the
deity with a local pawn broker for ₹10.15 lakh in 2009 in suggesting the periodical
verification.
Though the TTD had survived several scams like the multi-crore arjitha seva tickets
scam, rental and gas spare parts scam, irregularities in the purchase of ingredients
required in the making of prasadams, shaving blades at kalyanakatta and several others
never did it find itself so embattled with the issue gradually acquiring political
dimensions so much so that Chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had to intervene
and appeal to the Opposition parties to maintain restraint and not to malign the image
of the institution.
With Mr. Deekshitulu himself demanding a CBI enquiry into the entire episode and
meeting senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy who reportedly expressed his
readiness for filing a PIL in the Supreme Court, it remains to be seen how the TTD
would wriggle out of the volatile issue.
Know the Flower Garlands of Sri Venkateswara in Tirumala

50
Eight special garlands for Lord Venkateswara every day
Garlands of 100 feet long adorn deity
27 varities of flowers, 7 types of aromic leafs
50-100 kgs of fresh flowers every day
Garlands and flowers play a significant role and each one have a specific identity in the legends
and lores of the Temple of Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala. It is mentioned in the ‘Tiruvai
Mulhi’, a local purana that the celestial ruler of the seven hills was known for his love of flowers
and flowery decorations at his abode throughout the year. Temple chief priest Sri Ramana
Dikshitulu says that on any single day the majestic idol of the deity in the Srivari Temple is
decorated with nearly 100 feet length of flower garlands. The chief priest said the garlands were
made from specially cut flowers of nearly 27 varieties, and six types of aromic leafs from the
gardens of the Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala. The prominent garlands adorning the deity are –
Shikhamani, Saligrama Mala, Kanthasari, Vruksha Sthala Lakshmi, Shanku Chakram, Kathari
saram, Tavalamulu .

51
Shikhamani : The flower garland that covered the crown and along the shoulders and is about
12 feet in length in bright flowers – rose, jamine and marigold etc.
Kantha sari : Flower garlands which fall from the shoulders in both right and left directions.
Saligrama Mala : These are garlands with heavily scented flowers like roses, jasmines all along
the long Saligrama necklaces that are worn by the deity from neck upto waist level . Each of the
garlands are above 12 feet in length .
Vurksha Sthala Lakshmi : Flower garlands aorning the Bhudevi and Sri Devi who reside in the
navel of the Lord
Shanka chakran :The flower decoration on the celestial emblems of Lord Venkateswara –
Shanka and Chakram
Kthariha Saram : The flower decked belt along the waist to fit in the sword
Tavalamulu are the three long garlands that hang down from the top to bottom on the sides in
three stresses. along the hands .
TTD maintained gardens over hundreds of acres at Tirumala to raise special rose, jasmine and
marigold flowers spefcially for decoration of the main deity of Lord Venkateswara. Special
aromic leafs like tulasi etc were also raised in the same gardens. An average of 525-50 kgs of
gold are flowers and 5 kgs of scented leafs are used in the making of garlands and flower
decorations of the the main deity and also the sanctum of Srivari temple in Tirumala from TTD
gardens. Atleast 20 women make the garlands for the diety every day which is kept in air
conditioned chambers in the temple complex for decoration of the deity and also the utsava idols
during the festivals and rituals.

52
ANNAPRASADAM
Anna Prasadam
Free food for Devotees
Sri Vekateswara Annaprasadam is unique among all donation trusts that are being run by TTD.
‘Annam Para Brahma Swarupam’.
Food only can support the body to attain Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha.
The person, who participates in this sacred Annadanam, by giving generous donations, will
be blessed by divine Gods.
Tarigonda Vengamamba
Tarigonda Vengamamba was born in 1730 in the village of Tarigonda. She was a divine lady
who was in the grace of Lord Venkateswara at all times.
More about Tarigonda Vengamamba
Timings

Tirupati book part i

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