THIRUMALA TIRUPATI

Name : Tirupathy Venkatachalapathy, Srinivasa, Balaji

Location : Tirupati is a town in the Chittoor district of the Southern portion of Andhra Pradesh. The temple is located on the Seventh Peak of Venkata Hill in The Eastern Ghats.

Main Deity : The deity worshipped at Tirupati is Venkatachalapati. The image is that of a 10 ft high Sthanaka or standing figure of Vishnu on a lotus pedestal. The image is said to be a personification of perfection itself. Lakshmi forms an integral part of this image, which is decorated with flowers and ornamented with several precious jewels.

Included in the jewelry are a Lakshmi-garland, a necklace with 108 images of Lakshmi, a Salagrama garland, with salagrams encased in gold, an exquisitely carved Dasavatara belt around the waist, the Suryakatari, a golden sword that hangs from this belt, two gold sculptured plaques of Lakshmi and Padmavathi on the chest.

Venkatachalapati is the only moolavar in the sanctum and this is said to be the only Eka Murthy Temple for Vishnu in India. There are other processional deities in the temple. Bhoga Srinivasa, a silver replica of the mula vigraham is said to have been made and consecrated in the year 966 AD. The donor is said to have been a Pallava Queen and inscriptions related to this endowment are found in the temple.

Stala Purana :http://balaji.sudarshana.org/tirupati-history.htm

Legends : The Venkatam hill is said to be the sporting hill of Vishnu, brought to earth from Vaikuntam by Garuda, the vehicle of Vishnu, according to the Puranas. The Venkatam hills are also known as Seshachalam, a manifestation of Adi Sesha, the cosmic serpent. The seven hills of Tirupati are said to represent the seven hoods of Sesha.

The Varaha Purana mentions that Vishnu in the boar form and in the form of Srinivasa manifested himself on the banks of the holy Pushkarini in Tirumalai. It is believed that the celestial entities such as Bhramma and others worship Venkatachalapati and to facilitate their worship, all articles of worship are left open in the sanctum at when the temple is closed at night.

Significance of the temple :
Said to be the Richest temple in India, this temple is a vibrant cultural and philanthropic institution with a grand history spanning several centuries. It attracts pilgrims from all over the country and it is not unusual for pilgrims to stand in line for hours together to obtain a glimpse of the presiding deity for a few fleeting seconds.

Stala Theertham : Pushkarini
Website : http://www.tirumala.org