Tirupathi

Tirupathi

Situated at the southern edge of the Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh, Tirupati, is the city of seven picturesque hills, with perennial water falls, dense forests and exquisite green valleys. While Tirupati, with a cluster of temples, is the town at the foot of the seven hills, Tirumala is the temple township situated on top of the hills where the time-honored temple of Lord Sri Venkateswara is located.
This is one of the richest temples in the whole world. The outer walls of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple are covered with sheets of pure glittering gold and this is indeed a heavenly sight to behold! Tirupati is both a great holiday destination and pilgrimage center, thanks to its serene ambience, godly atmosphere and the all-pervading divine presence.
Horsley Hills is a less-known but enchanting hill-station, situated at about 150 km from Tirupati, where you can forget the physical world and spend quality time becoming one with nature. Make a trip to Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park and wildlife sanctuary and if you enjoy adventure sports, opt for trekking at Mamanduru, a truly refreshing experience. Miss not the historic Chandragiri Fort to marvel at the architectural genius of the Vijayanagar Dynasty.
Temple History :

There is ample literary and epigraphic testimony to the antiquity of the temple of Lord Sri Venkateswara. 

All the great dynasties of rulers of the southern peninsula have paid homage to Lord Sri Venkateswara in this ancient shrine. The Pallavas of Kancheepuram (9th century AD), the Cholas of Thanjavur (a century later), the Pandyas of Madurai, and the kings and chieftains of Vijayanagar (14th - 15th century AD) were devotees of the Lord and they competed with one another in endowing the temple with rich offerings and contributions.

It was during the rule of the Vijayanagar dynasty that the contributions to the temple increased. Sri Krishnadevaraya had statues of himself and his consorts installed at the portals of the temple, and these statues can be seen to this day. There is also a statue of Venkatapati Raya in the main temple.

After the decline of the Vijayanagar dynasty, nobles and chieftains from all parts of the country continued to pay their homage and offer gifts to the temple. The Maratha general, Raghoji Bhonsle, visited the temple and set up a permanent endowment for the conduct of worship in the temple. He also presented valuable jewels to the Lord, including a large emerald which is still preserved in a box named after the General. Among the later rulers who have endowed large amounts are the rulers of Mysore and Gadwal.

After the fall of the Hindu kingdoms, the Muslim rulers of Karnataka and then the Britishers took over, and many of the temples came under their supervisory and protective control.

In 1843 AD, the East India Company divested itself of the direct management of non-Christian places of worship and native religious institutions. The administration of the shrine of Sri Venkateswara and a number of estates were then entrusted to Sri Seva Dossji of the Hatiramji Mutt at Tirumala, and the temple remained under the administration of the Mahants for nearly a century, till 1933 AD.

In 1933, the Madras Legislature passed a special act, which empowered the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams(TTD) Committee to control and administer a fixed group of temples in the Tirumala-Tirupati area, through a Commissioner appointed by the Government of Madras.

In 1951, the Act of 1933 was replaced by an enactment whereby the administration of TTD was entrusted to a Board of Trustees, and an Executive Officer was appointed by the Government .

The provisions of the Act of 1951 were retained by Charitable and Religious Endowments Act, 1966. 
Accommodation:
TTD ensures that comfortable accommodation is provided to pilgrims at a reasonable cost. It has constructed over 5000 cottages, guest houses and choultries both at Tirupati and Tirumala.
TTD provides accommodation free of cost to pilgrims who cannot afford to pay for their stay in Tirupati and Tirumala. Further, to ease the demand for accommodation, TTD has built Public Amenities Complexes at both Tirupati and Tirumala, which provide dormitory-type accommodation with lockers, free of cost.

Facilities:

TTD provides a wide range of facilities to make your pilgrimage a unique spiritual experience.

Special facilities are being provided by TTD to meet the requirements of pilgrims expected to visit Tirumala during summer. 

Transportation	Accommodation	Food	Darshan
Communication	Fulfilling Vows	Medical	Miscellaneous

The Seven Hills

The seven hills, also called Saptagiri (Template: Lang-Te), represent the Saptarishi (seven sages). They sometimes called the Sapathagiri. Hence the Lord is named Saptagirinivasa. The following are the seven hills:

Gaaligopuram on Tirumala walkway from Tirupati

Mokalla mitta gopuram Tirumala hills Andhra Pradesh

    Vrushabhadri – Hill of Nandi, the vahana of Lord Shiva

    Anjanadri — Hill of Lord Hanuman

    Neeladri – Hill of Neela Devi – It is believed that hair offered by the devotees is                accepted by Neela Devi. It is because of boon granted by Lord Venkateswara to Neela Devi.

    Garudadri or Garudachalam – Hill of Garuda, the vahana of Lord Vishnu

    Seshadri or Seshachalam – Hill of Sesha, the dasa of Lord Vishnu

    Naraynadri – Hill of Narayana. Srivari Padalu are located here

    Venkatadri – Hill of Lord Venkateswara

Nearby temples:

    Srikalahasti Temple is an ancient temple of Lord Shiva situated on the banks of the River Swarnamukhi.The renowned devotee of Lord Shiva, Kannappa, attained salvation here. This temple is 38 kilometres (24 mi) away from Tirupati, and is connected by frequent buses.

  

Srinivasa Mangapuram is situated 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Tirupati.This temple houses Lord Venkateswara, also known as Prasanna Venkateswara or Kalyana Venkateswara. Bus connections are available from Tirupati.

 

  Sri Padmavati Devi Alayam (Alamelu Mangapuram), located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south of Tirupati, is an important temple which is visited by every pilgrim who visits Tirupati. It is this temple that houses the spouses of the Lord, Sri Padmavathi Devi (Alamelu Mangamma) and Thayaru. According to the legends, the goddess Padmavathi was born in a tank called Pushakarini at this place. The temples of Sri Krishna Swamy and Sri Sundara Raja Swamy are also inside the complex. The Temple is considered as a Shakti Peeth.

    Shiva carrying the corpse of Sati Devi

    Shakti Peetha means the divine chair of Adi Parashakti, the Mother Goddess. The origin of Shakti Peethas is related to the mythology of Daksha Yaga and Sati's self immolation. It had immense significance in shaping the ancient Sanskrit literature and even had impact on the culture of India. It lead to the development of the concept of Shakti Peethas and there by strengthening Shaktism. Shakti Peethas are shrines that are believes to have enshrined with the presence of Shakti due to the falling of body parts of the corpse of Sati Devi, when Lord Shiva carried it and wandered throughout Aryavartha in sorrow. There are 51 Shakti Peeth linking to the 51 alphabets in Sanskrit. Each temple have shrines for Shakti and Kalabhairava and mostly the each temple associates different names to Shakti and Kalabhairava in that temple.

    Sri Govinda Raja Swami Temple is located in Tirupati near the railway station. The highlight of the temple is its outer pinnacle (Gaali Gopuram), which is visible from a distance. In addition to a shrine to Sri Govinda Raja Swami, the temple complex also houses the shrines of Andal Ammavaru, Sri Krishna, Sri Ramanuja Thirumangai Alwar, Sri Vedanta Desika, Sri Lakshmi, and Sri Manevala Mahamunlu. The Bramhotsavam of Govinda Raja Swami during the month of Vaisakha (May–June) attracts a large number of devotees every year.

    Sri Kodanda Rama Swami Temple is also situated in Tirupati. This temple houses the shrines of Lord Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana. The beautiful idols of this temple are famous. Bramhotsavam in this temple takes place in the month of Falgun (March–April).

    Sri Kapileswara Swami Temple is the only temple of Lord Shiva in Tirupati. Pilgrims normally proceed to Tirumala for Darshan after taking a customary dip in the temple tank. Located amidst foothills of Tirumala, the place is also known for its waterfalls.

     

Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swami Temple is located at Narayanavanam, according to legends. Lord Venkateswara courted and married goddess Padmavathi Devi here.

Temple Activities :

Prasadam

The world famous Tirupati Laddu is given at Tirumala Temple as prasadam.[30] Recently, the Trust has taken Geographical Indication of Laddu prasadam, hence, no one can prepare the same Laddu. Many other prasadams are also available including daddojanam (curd rice), pulioharey (tamarind rice), vada and chakkera-pongali (sweet pongal), miryala-pongali, Appam, Paayasam, Jilebi, Muruku, Dosa, seera (kesari). Free meals are given daily to the pilgrims. On Thursdays, the Tirupavadai seva is conducted, where food items are kept as naivedyam to Lord Srinivasa.

Hair tonsuring

Devotees shaving their heads at Tirumala Venkateswara Temple

Many devotees have their head tonsured as "Mokku", an offering to God. The daily amount of hair collected is over a ton. The hair thus gathered is sold by the temple organisation a few times a year by public auction to international buyers for use as hair extensions and in cosmetics, bringing over $6 million to the temple's treasury. This is the second highest income generating activity in the temple next to the Hundi Collection.

When Lord Balaji 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. Lord Balaji 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)

It is believed that Srinivasa had to make arrangements for his wedding. Lord Kubera credited money to the god Venkateswara (a form of the god Vishnu) for his marriage with Padmavati. Srinivasa sought a loan of one crore and 1.4 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 Padmavathy lived for all eternity while Goddess Lakshmi, understanding the commitments of Lord Vishnu, chose to live in his heart forever.(citation needed) In remembrance of this, devotees 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. Devotees offer gold as a token of their love for God. The annual gold offering goes as high as 3000 kg.

Thulabharam

One of the most important offering in this temple, is the 'thulabharam.' 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.

Arjitha seva (paid services)

Pilgrims can view and participate (in a limited fashion) in the various sevas performed to Dhruva bera (main idol), Bhoga Srinivasa, Sri Malayappa swami and other idols in the temple.

When pilgrims purchase arjitha seva tickets, they get the opportunity to see a seva performed to the Lord, obtain prasadam in the form of vastram (clothes), akshantalu (sacred and blessed rice) and food articles (laddus, vadas, dosas, pongal, rice items) and a darshan of the utsava murti.

Official Website :  http://tirumala.org/