Devalayamदेवालयम्
Temples › Andhra Pradesh

Sri Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala

Living templeDravida (South Indian)Pandya / Vijayanagara / Nayaka108 Divya Desams (Vaishnava)

The hill temple of Venkateswara on the seventh of the Seshachalam hills is one of the most visited religious sites in the world. It is run by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), known for its hair-tonsure offerings, hundi and the Tirupati laddu.

HistoryDocumented history

The temple is praised in the Tamil Divya Prabandham and has hundreds of inscriptions from the Pallavas onwards. Vijayanagara rulers were its greatest patrons, and the composer Annamacharya (15th c.) wrote thousands of songs to the deity. TTD now runs a wide network of hospitals, schools and charities.

Sthala PuranaTradition

When the sage Bhrigu kicked Vishnu's chest, where Lakshmi lives, she left Vaikuntha in anger. Vishnu came to earth searching for her and lived on the Venkata hill as Srinivasa. He married Princess Padmavati, daughter of Akasa Raja, borrowing the wedding costs from Kubera. Devotees' offerings are said to help the Lord repay the loan, which will last until the end of the age.

Aitihyas and storiesTradition and folklore

Offering one's hair is a vow of humility found in many family traditions. Stories of Hathiram Bavaji, a devotee who played dice with the Lord, and the faith that 'Govinda' heals and grants vows are retold widely.

PhilosophyInterpretation

Venkateswara is worshipped as the Lord of the Kali age who is easy to reach. The hair offering, giving up the ego's vanity, and the hundi, giving back to the divine, are practices of surrender.

Meaning todayInterpretation

TTD's scale, managing tens of thousands of pilgrims daily, is a case study in religious institution management. Its public welfare work shows a temple economy reinvested in society.

Timeline

  1. 966otherdocumented
    Pallava queen Samavai
    An inscription records her gift of a silver image (Bhoga Srinivasa) and endowments.
  2. 1513–1521expandeddocumented
    Krishnadevaraya (Vijayanagara)
    Visited several times and gave large gifts; his statue with his queens stands in the temple.
  3. 1933otherdocumented
    Madras Presidency
    Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams set up by statute (TTD Act 1932).

Videos

No videos have been curated for this temple yet.

Sources

  1. Nalayira Divya Prabandham, The Alvarsdevotional
  2. Wikipedia: Venkateswara Temple, Tirumalatertiary
  3. Official websiteofficial

This entry is a draft. Traditional stories are presented as tradition, not as historical fact.