Tirumala Venkateswara Temple(Andhra Pradesh)
The Tirumala hills comprising of the seven hills
of Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri,
Vrushabadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri are
the abode of the Tirumala Venkateswara temple.
Tirumala Venkateswara Temple (Andhra Pradesh) Hindu Temples
Tirumala Venkateswara Temple also known as Tirupati Venkateswara Temple is a famous Hindu temple of Lord Venkateswara located in the hill town Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh. The temple is located on the Venkatachalam hill that forms part of the seven hills of Tirumala, and hence the temple is also known as the Temple of Seven Hills (Edukondalu in Telugu). The presiding deity of the temple, Lord Venkateswara, is also known by other names - Balaji or Srinivasa. According to the legend, the temple has a self-manifested murti of Lord Vishnu, with the Lord believed to reside here for the entire Kali Yuga.
The temple is the most visited Hindu place of worship, and is the world's second richest in terms of the offerings made by pilgrims to the God and gifts given by visiting pilgrims. The temple is visited by about 60,000 pilgrims daily, while on special occasions and festivals the number of pilgrims shoots up to 200,000, making it the second most visited holy place after the Vatican, annually. In Sri Vaishnava tradition, the temple is considered one of the 108 Divya Desam sites.
The Temple
The Tirumala hills comprising of the seven hills of Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri are the abode of the Tirumala Venkateswara temple. The hill town (Tirumala) and the temple (Venkateswara Temple) are located on the Seshadri or Seshachelam hill. The temple complex comprises a smaller traditional temple building along with a number of modern queue and pilgrim lodging sites. The varied names ascribed to the main deity are Balaji, Srinivasa, Venkateswara and Venkatachalapathy. The goddess Sri or Lakshmi (Vishnu's consort) resides on the chest of Venkateswara, and thus he is also known by the epithet Srinivasa (the one in whom Sri resides).
The deity is considered the Kali yuga varada, that is 'the boon-granting Lord of Kali yuga' (the fourth and final age of the Hindu cycle of ages). The temple is held in particular reverence by the Vaishnava sect of southern India, known as the Sri Vaishnava. For worshippers, the deity Venkateswara symbolizes goodness. When people travel to Tirupati, they chant "Yedu Kondala Vada Venkataramana Govinda Govindaa" (in Telugu), "Yezhu malaiyaane Govinda" (in Tamil) or "Tirupati Thimmappana Padakke Govinda" (in Kannada). With his conch he creates the cosmic sound that destroys ignorance and with his disc he destroys evil. Venkateswara is believed by followers to be a very merciful deity form of Vishnu, being the fulfiller of every wish made to him by the devotees.
History
The exact beginnings of the temple are shrouded in antiquity, and its origins are a matter of debate. Thondaiman, a Pallava king (capital: Mamallapuram, just south of modern day Chennai), is believed to have first built the temple after visualizing Lord Vishnu in his dream. He built the Gopuram and the Prakhara, and arranged for regular prayers to be conducted in the temple. The Sangam literature of Tamil such as that of Silapadikaram and Satanar Manimekalai, dated between 500BC and 300AD, mentions Thiruvengadam (now named Tirupati) as the northernmost frontier of the Tamil kingdoms. Also this temple was built by all Tamil Kings Chera, Chozha, Pandiya and Pallava. Other Indian literature dating during the Mauryan and Guptan regimes mentions it as "Aadhi Varaha Kshetra" (the ancient site of Varaha). Till the time of Ramanuja, the famous Vaishnava scholar of the 12th century, the identity of the deity was still disputed until he confirmed it to be indeed Vishnu.
The site was an established center by the 5th century AD, and the Alvars (Vaishnava saints) belonging to the Bhakti movement in Tamilnadu sung in praise of Venkateswara. Its significance in Southern Vaishnavite tradition was at the time next only to that of Srirangam. The temple was richly endowed by the kings of various dynasties, thus adding to its current reputation as the richest and most opulent temple in the world. The imperial Pallavas (who originally built the temple), Hoysalas and kings of Vijayanagara (including Krishna Deva Raya) were some of the key contributors for building the temple, and donating gold and other ornaments to the temple.
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Hindu Temples in India
temples
Andhra Pradesh Temples