Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple(also known as Tirupathi
temple) is a landmark Vaishnav temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at
Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated
to Lord Venkateswara, an incarnation of Vishnu, who is believed to have
appeared here to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga. Hence the
place has also got the name Kaliyuga Vaikuntham and Lord here is referred to as
Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam. The temple is also known by other names like
Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple, Tirupati Balaji Temple. Venkateswara is known
by many other names: Balaji, Govinda, and Srinivasa.
The Tirumala Hills are part of Seshachalam Hills range. The
hills are 850 metres (2,800 ft) above sea level. The Hills comprises seven
peaks, representing the seven heads of Adisesha. The seven peaks are called
Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabhadri, Narayanadri and
Venkatadri. The temple lies on the seventh peak -Venkatadri, on the southern
banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini, a holy water tank. Hence the temple is also
referred to as "Temple of Seven Hills".
The Temple is constructed in Dravidian architecture and is
believed to be constructed over a period of time starting from 300 AD. The
Garbagriha(Sanctum Sanctorum) is called AnandaNilayam. The preciding deity,
Venkateswara, is in standing posture and faces east in Garbha griha. The temple
follows Vaikhanasa Agama tradition of worship. The temple is one of the eight
Vishnu Swayambhu Kshetras and is listed as 106th and the last earthly Divya
Desam. The Temple premises had two modern Queue complex buildings to organize
the pilgrim rush, Tarigonda Venkamamba Annaprasadam complex for free meals to
Pilgrims, hair tonsure buildings and a number of pilgrim lodging sites.
It is the richest temple in the world in terms of donations
received and wealth. The temple is visited by about 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims
daily (30 to 40 million people annually on average), while on special occasions
and festivals, like the annual Brahmotsavam, the number of pilgrims shoots up
to 500,000, making it the most-visited holy place in the world.
It is around 435 km (270.3 mi) from Vijayawada, 571.9 km
(355.4 mi) from Hyderabad, 138 km (85.7 mi) from Chennai, 291 km (180.8 mi)
from Bangalore, and 781.2 km (485.4 mi) from Visakhapatnam
There are several legends associated with the manifestation
of the Lord in Tirumala. According to one legend, the temple has a murti
(deity) of Lord Venkateswara, which it is believed shall remain here for the
entire duration of the present Kali Yuga.
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