Tirumala Venkateswara Temple

Overview

The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is a Hindu temple located on the Tirumala hills in the state of Andhra Pradesh, southern India. The temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, one of the principal deities of Hinduism. Tens of thousands of pilgrims arrive each day for Darshan, the sight of the deity's image in the sanctum, and the temple operates through a continuous daily cycle of rituals.

Present

The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is administered by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), a trust established in 1933 and overseen by the government of Andhra Pradesh. The temple operates around the clock through a fixed daily cycle of rituals, from the pre-dawn awakening of the deity to the ceremony that closes the day at night. Pilgrims come above all for Darshan, the sight of the image of Venkateswara in the sanctum. Many offer their hair: tonsure halls at the site shave the heads of thousands of pilgrims each day as an act of devotion. The temple kitchens prepare the Tirupati laddu, a sweet distributed to pilgrims as Prasadam, food first offered to the deity. Donations placed in the Hundi, the temple's offering vessel, fund the trust's temples, hospitals, and schools. The largest event of the temple year is the Brahmotsavam, a nine-day annual festival in which the deity's processional images are carried around the temple streets. It follows the lunar calendar and usually takes place from September to October.

Religious Significance

Hindus worship Venkateswara, the deity of the Tirumala temple, as a form of Vishnu, the god who in Hindu belief preserves and protects the universe. Hindu tradition holds that Vishnu manifested himself on the Tirumala hills as Venkateswara to guide humanity through the Kali Yuga, the present age in the Hindu cycle of time, and that he is present in the temple's image. Devotees make vows to Venkateswara for health, marriage, children, or success, and travel to Tirumala to fulfil them; the offering of hair is understood as surrendering pride and beauty in return for the deity's grace. Hindu tradition also recounts that Venkateswara borrowed from Kubera, the god of wealth, to pay for his wedding to the goddess Padmavathi, and that the offerings of devotees help repay this debt, an account that frames the temple's tradition of giving. The seven peaks of the Tirumala range are themselves venerated: Hindu tradition regards them as the seven hoods of Adisesha, the cosmic serpent on which Vishnu rests.

History & Structure

The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is documented in inscriptions from the 9th century CE. Successive southern Indian dynasties endowed and enlarged it, among them the Pallavas, the Cholas, and the rulers of the Vijayanagara empire; the 16th-century Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya made gifts of gold and jewels that are recorded in inscriptions on the temple walls. The temple is located on Venkatadri, one of the seven peaks of the range, at about 850 metres above sea level. The walled complex is entered through a gopuram, a tower gateway rising above the outer wall, and encloses courtyards, pillared halls, and the sanctum. Above the sanctum rises the Ananda Nilayam, a tower sheathed in gilded copper. The image of Venkateswara in the sanctum is a standing stone figure, adorned daily with ornaments and flowers.

Additional Resources

• Official website: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams
• Book: Tirupati: A Guide to Life by Kota Neelima (2012)