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Significance:
Tirupati/Tirumala
is a pilgrimage center of great significance and is visited by hundreds of
thousands of pilgrims throughout the year.Venkateswara, or Srinivasa or
Balaji as the presiding deity Vishnu is known, is enshrined in this
temple, located on a range of the Eastern Ghats, called the Seven Hills.It
is an ancient temple and its glory has been sung by the saints of the
yesteryears.
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.
TTD, or
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam manages the affairs of the temple, the well
being of the pilgrims, the upkeep of the environs in and around the
Tirumala hills and sponsors several undertakings that are religious,
charitable, social and educational in nature.
References
to Tiruvenkatam abound in early Tamil literature(Tolkappiam and
Silappadikaram) . Explicit reference to the Lord of Tiruvenkatam is found
in the works of the early Tamil Saint Poets Poigai Alwar, Bhuthathu Alwar
and Pay Alwar as well as in the poems of the later Alwars. The
great religious leader Ramanuja Acharya is said to have visited here in
the 11th - 12th century AD.
References
to Venkatachalam are also found in several of the Puranas. Tirumalai
constitutes one of the 108 Sri Vaishnava Divya Desams - sacred shrines in
the Sri Vaishnavite tradition. Krishna Deva Raya of the
Vijayanagar Empire is said to have visited this temple 7 times. An image
of his is also found in the temple. The Venkatesa Itihasa Mala
and the Varaha Purana contain several legends connected with Tirumalai.
Location:
Tirupati is
a town in the Chittoor district of the Southern portion of Andhra Pradesh
and is at a convenient train journey away from Chennai (formerly Madras)
in Tamilnadu. Tirumalai, on the last of the seven Hills, is home to this
temple and is connected by a well maintained and picturesque mountain road
constructed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devastanam. |
