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| HOME > India > Andhra Pradesh > Tirupati > Tirumala | ||||
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Tirumala Pop: 17,000 Area Code: 08577 Tirumala is where the Venkateswara (Sri Balaji) Temple is located. Tirumala is located on Vyenkata Hill at an altitude of 840m (2,800 ft). Vyenkateswara means “the Lord of Vyenkatachala.” Vyenkatachala is a chain of hills. The temple is situated on the top of seven adjoining hills, also called Seshachalam Hills, which are said to be an incarnation of Ananta Sesa. Once Vayu and Sesa entered into a disagreement over who was stronger. Sesa wrapped his long body around Mount Meru and challenged Vayu to move it. Vayu tried but failed. Vayu pretended to be exhausted and stopped blowing. Then Sesa opened his mouth to breathe. At that moment, Vayu blew off part of the hill. After the hill had traveled a great distance, Mount Meru asked Vayu to leave it there. Ashamed of his defeat, Sesa did penance, meditating on Lord Vishnu. When Lord Vishnu appeared and offered a boon, Sesa assumed the shape of the hill and requested the Lord to stay on his head. This hill is called Sesachalam. It is said that when Ramanuja visited here, he walked up the hill on his knees to avoid stepping on Sesa Naga. The Lord’s appearance in Tirumala is mentioned in about 12 different Puranas. According to the Brahma Purana, Lord Vishnu wanted a change from Vaikuntha, so he inquired from Narada Muni about a place on earth for diversion and sport. Narada suggested Sesachalam (the head of Ananta Sesa). All the property at the top of the hill at Tirumala belongs to the Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which is recycles much of its wealth to such humanitarian works as schools, orphanages and hospitals. Tirumala is an unusual place for India in that the streets are totally
clean of trash. On an average over 25,000 people visit daily, and on festival days over 100,000 visit. In 1989, over eleven and a half million people made their pilgrimage here. As you enter the inner sanctum the chanting becomes more and more intense—“Om Namo Venkateswara, Om Namo Venkateswara.” On special days when the Deity is in “full dress” his entire outfit spreads from one end of the altar room to the other and all the jewels of the dress are real—gold coins, emeralds, diamonds and platinum. It is said that at Tirumala, Lord Vishnu grants the wish of anyone who offers him their weight in something, be it gold, fruit, cloth, or whatever. Pilgrims who make such an offering and ask a boon or blessing generally return (after achieving their desire) and make another offering to the Lord, acknowledging his kindness. The worship in the temple is performed by Sri-sampradaya Vaishnava Brahmins, in the line of Ramanujacharya. The Venkateswara temple is 126.5m (414 ft) long, 80m (263 ft) wide, and covers an area of 2.2 acres. What is particularly stunning is the vimana (dome), called Ananda Nilayam, above the Deity’s main room. It is covered in hammered solid gold. The flag-pole (dwajasthamba) is gold-plated, and the gates that guard the inner sanctum are also covered with gold. Every day 100,000 luglus (fruit and nuts sweets) are made. The demand is much more, but the tradition is that all the luglus must be cooked in the temple kitchens. The cooks receive 52 luglus for every 1000 they make, as payment for their services. The average income of the temple is $25,000 (10 lakhs rupees) a day. It has an annual income of 5 billion rupees (125 million dollars) a year. The TTD banks Rs 40 to 50 crores (12 million dollars) yearly. The Hundi (Deity box) collection is over 5 million dollars yearly. It is not unusual when they open this box at the end of the day to find gold and platinum coins and bricks inside. The Deity’s gold and silver palanquins and other sacred paraphernalia are on display. There is a temple staff of over 6,000. It is said that Sankaracharya established the Dhanakarshana Yantra
at this temple to attract people to visit the temple. Sri Chaitanya
came here on his tour of South India. His two upper arms hold a conch-shell (sankha) and disk (cakra). The palm of his lower right hand is turned outward offering benediction (varada), while his lower left hand is turned inward (katyavalambita). Alarmelmangai-Nachchiyar (Lakshmi), seated on a lotus, is carved on the right side of Sri Venkateswara’s chest. Lord Rama’s marks are found on Venkateswara near the armpits: the bow and quiver (arrows). The Lord’s eyes are covered by a large tilak like “V”
made of camphor. For it is said that Lord Venkateswara’s lotus-like
eyes are so beautiful that if they were uncovered, then pilgrims would
not want to leave. This form of the Lord is known for fulfilling any
desire a devotee may express to him. It is also said that his eyes are
covered because His gaze would scorch the entire world. There is an hour break between 11 am and noon for cleaning and worship, and at that time there is no darshan. There is darshan from 12 noon till 7 pm and then again from 8 to 10 pm. At 10.30 pm is ekanta-seva, or putting the Lord in a cradle. The Lord takes rest for just two hours a day, from 1 to 3 am. The padmaradhana, or worship with 108 golden lotus flowers, is a popular abhishek done every Tuesday. Tickets are booked a year in advance. Abhisheka, or the bathing of Sri Venkateswara, is done every Friday morning between 4.30 and 5.30 am. At 5 pm, there is an interesting ceremony outside with lamps. Other Deities in the Temple As you come into the second gopuram (entrance), to your right is a Deity of Lord Narasimha in his form of Yoga Narasimha. He is sitting in a cross-legged yogic position, with his two lower hands resting on his knees. Facing west near Lord Narasimha is a deity of Sri Ramanuja, the Sri Vaishnava acharya. A part of the prasada offered to Sri Venkateswara is offered to Sri Ramanuja. On certain festival days special honors are shown to Sri Ramanuja, because he established the day-to-day procedure of worship in this temple. Deities on Main Altar (Sanctum) Sri Malai Kuniya Nenran Perumal (Sri Malayappan) is the 1m (3 ft) tall
processional Deity (utsava-murti). Sridevi is to the right of this Deity
and Bhudevi is also near by. There is also a set of Rukmini-Krishna Deities and Deities of Sita,
Rama, Laksman, and Sugriva. On either side of the entrance to the inner sanctum are the two dwarapalas (guards), Jaya and Vijaya. The Mukkoti Pradakshina is a path that encircles the inner sanctum. It is normally closed and is open only on Vaikuntha Ekadasi. One who goes through the special gate that circumambulates the inner sanctum of Sri Venkateswara is considered to gain liberation from this material world upon leaving this body. Useful Information The inner shrines of the temple are not officially open to non-Hindus.
Foreigners may be asked to sign a paper saying they believe in Hinduism.
If they sign the paper, they can enter the temple. You can use your Rs 30 “special darshan” ticket to go to a special booth, to your right as you leave the temple, to purchase a large prasadam luglu. The normal luglu queue (line) may take an hour or more and this special line is almost immediate. The luglus are fantastic. Mondays and Tuesdays are not very crowded days. At 7 am on Monday it may only be an hour waiting time in the “special darshan” line. Weekends and festivals days are the most crowded days to come. You can pay for hotel TTD accommodations or gives donations by using
a credit card. The TTD web site is www.tirupati.org. Accommodations
can be arranged through the web site. You can get a small booklet here that is published by the TTD. In the booklet they suggest that before entering the temple that one bathes in Pushkarini Lake and worships at the Varaha Swami Temple. They also suggest that one chants “OM Sri Venkatesaya Namah” inside the temple and that one bathes in the Papavinasanam and Akasa Ganga Tirthams near Tirumala. There is no darshan between 10 am and noon. For a Rs 30 fee, you enter the “special darshan” line that
cuts your waiting time by 75%. Once your darshan is finished, you continue to follow the queue outside the premises. Outside the temple you can purchase delicious round luglus made of dried fruits and nuts to take home, as they keep for long periods. Demand for these sweets are high. If you have a “special darshan” ticket you can purchase a large luglu from the booth to your right as you leave the temple. This booth is up some stairs in a building across from the temple. You are limited to just one luglu per “special darshan” ticket in this line. Around the Temple Next to the tank is the Varaha Swami Temple. It is stated in the Puranas that Lord Varaha was on Sesachala before Sri Venkateswara, and he granted space to Venkateswara to live on Sesachala Hill. It is a tradition to visit this temple before going into the main temple. There is a small museum called the Hall of Antiquities (opened daily from 8 am to 8 pm; admission Rs 5), which is located opposite the temple entrance. Akasa Ganga is a sacred waterfall, 5km south of the temple. Water is
brought from here for Lord Venkateswara’s abhiseka (bathing).
On the way to Akasa Ganga is Papavinasha Tirtha. You can visit the huge head-shaving center, which looks something like
a South Indian temple. Devotees offer their hair in expectation of pleasing
the Lord. Head shaving (tonsuring) is done by many people (many of them
women). The hair is sold for wig making, and these proceeds are used
for increasing the prosperity of the Deities and the upkeep of the town,
etc. Three or four crore rupees (over a million dollars) is raised from
this process each year. The main day of Brahmotsavam is the cart procession (Rathotsava) on the eighth day. The processional Deity is led around the four streets surrounding the temple on a beautifully decorated cart. The Makarakanti ornament and the Laksmiharam (of the main Deity) are used to decorate the processional Deity on this day. This is the only day that these valuable ornaments are allowed to leave the temple. The fifth and eleventh days are also important. On the eleventh day the processional Deity is taken to Swami Pushkarini, the tank by the temple. The Tiruppaliodam Tirunal (Float Festival) is usually five days. There is a major festival in reference to the Swami Pushkarini tank
(Dec/Jan). A million sacred bathing places are said to flow into the
tank at this time. The Chakra of Lord Vishnu (Chakara Alvar) is taken
in procession through the streets and then bathed in the tank. This
is considered to be an especially auspicious time to bathe in this tank. To get a room you go to the Central Reservation Office, near the bus stand. You can book rooms 30 days in advance by writing the Reception Office (2571, 2753), TTD, Tirumala and sending a Rs 100 demand draft drawn on a national bank in favor of the TTD, Tirumala. The Tamil Nadu Tourist Development Corporation rents out cottages.
You rent a room at cottage No 304 by the bus station, or rooms can be
booked in their office in Chennai. Woodlands Restaurant, a five-minute walk from the main area, is a popular cheap thali place. Tirupati to Tirumala By Road You pass nice forests, gardens and a zoo. There are refreshment stands on the way. On the way up the hill is a small temple dedicated to Ramanujacharya. The walk up the hill is about 4,000 steps, which takes two to four hours of steady climbing and is hard work. If you walk up the hill and want to stay over-night in Tirumala, you can leave your luggage at the baggage stand at the toll gate at the bottom of the hill. It will be transported up the hill free of charge, and you pick it up at the cloak-room near the Central Reception Office at the top of the hill. If you know of a vegetarian restaurant that is not listed here, or if you would like to help update our listings, please e-mail us at: vrupdate@hotmail.com |
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