Tirumala Venkateswara Temple

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Tirumala Venkateswara Temple

Tirumala Venkateswara Temple Location in Andhra Pradesh

Coordinates:

134059N 792049ECoordinates: 2049E

134059N 79

Name Proper name: Tirumala Venkateswara Temple Location Country: India State: Andhra Pradesh District: Chittor Locale: Tirupati Architecture and culture Primary deity: Venkateswara (Vishnu) Important Brahmotsavam, Vaikunta Ekadasi festivals: History Date built: Earliest records date to 300 A.D (probable) Creator: Thondaiman Temple board: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Website: tirumala.org

Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is a famous Hindu temple located in the hill town Tirumala, near Tirupati in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh,India. Tirumala (Tamil: 'Thiru' means holy and 'malai' means mountain), is a hill town in Chittoor district in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Tirumala, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, is one of the most popular centers of today's Hindu/Vedha Religion. The temple is situated on Venkatadri(also known as Venkatachala or Venkata Hill) the seventh peak in the seven hills of Tirumala, and hence is also known as the Temple of Seven Hills (Saptagiri in Sanskrit). The presiding deity of the temple, Lord Venkateswara, is also known by other names - Balaji, Vishnu, Govinda and Srinivasa.[1] The temple is reportedly the richest and the most visited place of worship in the world.[2] The temple is visited by about 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily (3 to 4 crore people annually on an 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.[3]

According to legend, the temple has a murti (deity) of Lord Venkateswara, which it is believed shall remain here for the entire duration of the presentKali Yuga. In South Indian Alwar/Nayanar Sri Vaishnava tradition the temple is considered one of the 108 Divya Desams.
Contents
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[edit]History [edit]Ancient

of the temple
history

This place was well known as Venkatachala for centuries. This name, it is believed, was given by Lord Brahma Himself. This hill was in the Dwarparayuga known by the name of Sheshachala or Sheshadri. The significance of this hill Venkatachala means "Ven" means SIN and "Kata" means "DESTROYED OR BURNT". It means that a person who worships the Lord in this place will get cleansed of all his sins. The significance of Tirumala hills is extolled in one of the world's oldest known sacred texts, the "Rigveda", and it is described as "Vengadam Hills"[citation needed]. The idol representation is in essence the Godhead's own manifestation for facilitating worship (hence known as Archavathara). It symbolizes the Supreme Spirit in all its glory and in its immanent as well as transcendental aspects (viz the Brahman of Vedanta). It is in this sense that the self-manifest image of Vishnu (the Vedic God of Gods) on the Vengadam hills (Tirumala) is hailed with the words 'Venkata-brahmane-namah'. The person, devoid of wealth and vision, is implored to go to the hill which burns up all evil (vikata for Venkata) and drives away all obstacles to peace and prosperity. The call of the rishi Sirimbitha has obviously not gone in vain. Thondaiman, ruler of the ancient Thondaimandalam (present day Kanchipuram),is believed to have first built the temple after visualizing Lord Vishnu in his dream. He built the Gopuram and the Prakhara, and arranged for regular prayers to be conducted in the temple. Later on, the Chola dynasty vastly improved the temple and gave rich endowments. The Pallavas of Kanchipuram (9th century AD), Cholas of Tanjore (10 century), and Vijayanagara pradhans (14th & 15th centuries) were committed devotees of Lord Venkateswara. The statues of Sri Krishna Devaraya and his spouse stand in the premises of the temple. After the decline of Vijayanagara Empire, kings from various states like the king of Mysore and Gadwal, worshiped the lord as pilgrims and gifted various ornaments and valuables to the temple. Raghoji Bhonsle, the Maharastrian commander visited the temple and made a permanent arrangement regarding the regular pujas to be done to the Lord. .[4] Puranic literature which was composed roughly around the post-Mauryan and early-Gupta era also mentions Tirupati as the Aadhi Varaha Kshetra. The Puranas associate the site with Lord Varaha, an incarnation of

Lord Vishnu. The Varaha shrine holds great importance in Tirupati and is said to be older than the main sanctum of Venkateswara. There is also the Ranga Mandapam, which is to the left side of the temple as one enters. This is where the main deity, Sri Ranganatha Swamy of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple (Trichy), was protected for a period of almost 60 years during attacks by Malik Kafur in the 14th century. In his mangala sloka in 'Sri Bhashya', the Lokaguru Shrimath Ramanuja declares in no uncertain terms the resplendent glory of Lord Venkateswara : "May my intellect assume the form of Bhakti in Srinivasa, the highest Reality, revealed in the Vedanta as the Lord who creates, protects and destroys the whole universe with sportive ease and who has taken a vow to protects all creatures who seek him." 'Silappadikaram', the great Tamil Classic calls the Holy Hills, 'Nediyon Kunrams'. It was, however, the Alvars who brought forth the transcedental majesty of Lord Venkateswara through their poems of praise which are surcharged with undiluted devotion to the Lord. Many Alvars, Vaishnavacharyas and Saints have praised the Tirumala Hill with great devotion. Tirumala Nambi, a descendant of the great ascetic Narada, spent his whole life in serving the Lord. [edit]Medieval

history

It was under the regime of the Vijayanagara emperors that the temple attained the majority of its current wealth[5] and size, with the donation diamonds and gold. The coronation ceremonies of the emperors were also held at Tirupati. In 1517, Krishnadevaraya, on one of his many visits to the temple, donated gold and jewels, enabling the Vimana (inner shrine) roofing to be gilded. The Marathageneral Raghoji Bhonsle visited the temple and set up a permanent administration for the conduct of worship in the temple. Among the later rulers who endowed large benefactions were the rulers ofMysore and Gadwal. In 1843, with the coming of the East-India Company, the administration of the Sri Venkateswara Temple and a number of shrines was entrusted to Seva Dossji of the Hathiramji Mutt at Tirumala as Vicaranakarta for nearly a century until 1932, when Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) was established as a result of the TTD Act, 1932. But as per archaeologist and confirmed history ,this temple is originally converted from Dravidian Samanar religion, who are micro minority in South India now. Around 8000 Samanar saints were killed in one day when this temple as well as many Samanar temples were forcibly converted to Brahmin temples. There is no historicity in Brahminical claims. However it makes no difference who controls the temple and the main deity who is renamed after Vishnu's avatar, which is even missing from any Hindu mythological literature. This neo-mythology is very unique to southern brahmins, Such temples which were originally part of nonvedic dravidian heritage,which includes other famous temples like Nagaraj temple in Nagercoil, Meenakshi temples in Madurai, Kamakshi temple in Kanchipuram, Varadarperumal in Kanchipuram.

[edit]Modern

history

See also: Establishment and legislative setting of TTD

Swami Pushkarni of Tirumala

TTD is operated by a Board of Trustees and has increased in size through adoption of various Acts from five (1951) to fifteen (1987). The daily operation and management of TTD is the responsibility of an Executive Officer (EO) who is appointed by the government of Andhra Pradesh. The temple attracts approximately 75,000 pilgrims every day.[6] The popularity of the temple can be judged by its annual budget, estimated at Rs 10 billion in 2008, mostly from donations. Devotees give donations which runs into the millions. TTD, the organisation running the welfare of the temple, runs various charitable trusts whose funds are derived from the budget and donations from the devotees.[7] [edit]Thirumalai

Ananthalvan(Selfless Service to the Lord)

Ramanuja ( 1017-1137 A.D.) had visited the Hills thrice. His maternal uncle , Peria Thirumalai Nambi gave him discourses on the Ramayana for several months at the Hills. The temple and the surroundings were in bad shape and worship was not organized regularly. Ramanuja was inspired by the Holy Hymns of the Alwars singing the glory of the Lord of the Seven Hills. He called an assembly of the Acharyas , 74 in number and posed them the question whether any one of them will take up the task of serving the Lord on the Hills on a day to day basis. Everyone was hesitating , fearing the hard life up the Hills what with tigers , malaria and the forests. There was Ananthalvan , a strong and silent devotee in the gathering. He rose to his feet and prayed , " Beloved Acharya ! Bestow the blessing of serving the Lord of the Seven Hills on this humble self. With your grace , I will be happy to undertake this service." Ramanuja was mightily pleased and embracing Ananthalvan, declared before the congregation , " Ananthalvan , You are truly the man ( Aanpillai)." Ananthalvan was born as the son of Sri Kesavacharya of Bharadwaja Gothra in the year Vijaya, the 975th of the Sakha Era, 4154 years after Kali Yuga commenced, in the month of Chaitra on the day of Chithra Star at Sirupudur in Mysore and was named Anantharya.He was taught the Vedas, Vedangas and Dhivyaprabandhams of Azhvars at the right age. On hearing about Sri Ramanuja he went to Srirangam. His samasrayanam was done by Sri Arulalaperumal Emperumanar who proclaimed that for them and for him the

Acharya was always Ramanujar. Just as the Lord was born as Nara and Narayana, Adiseshan too was born as Ramanujar and Ananthazhvar as Acharya and Shishya. Ananthalvan choose to settle down on the Hills in fulfilment of the command of the Guru and went on to lay the garden of flowers, dug up the lake and named it after Ramanuja. As a part of maintenance of a garden in the service of the Lord, Ananthazhwar was digging up earth, assisted by his pregnant wife. She got tired.The compassionate Lord could not contain himself. He assumed the form of a lad and assisted her in her service.Ananthalvar got angry and hit with a crowbar a young man who was trying to help his wife in laying the garden. Ananthalvan was chasing him when the young man disappeared into the temple. The priests found blood oozing from the chin of the Lord as Ananthalvan entered the sanctum sanctorum. He applied camphor on the chin and prayed for forgiveness. The crowbar can even today be seen at the entrance to the temple as a memento to the dedicated devotion of Ananthalvan. The camphor is distributed as prasad.Bhattar , the successor to Saint Ramanuja at Srirangam, once sent a disciple to Ananthalvan to ascertain who a true Vaishnava was. Ananthalvan told the Brahmin from Srirangam , " A true Sri Vaishnavite is like a crane , like a cock , like salt. He will be like You." Bhattar later on explained the four different ideas of Ananthalvan. During the second visit up the Hills , Saint Ramanuja went round the garden laid down by Ananthasuri and was delighted to find the garden thick with vakula, patala, punnaga, shenbaga and other flower bearing fragrant trees, the bunches of flowers hanging from the branches, entertaining the ears of pilgrims with strains of music poured forth by bees and all kinds of plumaged birds. Saint Ramanuja remembered, how on the first occasion, he had given the call to Ananthasuri at the time of discourse on Nammalwar's hymns referring to the Lord as residing in flower bedecked Venkata Hills ( Sindhupoo maghizhum Thiruvengadam). He called Anantharya and declared in the august presence of Peria Thirumalai Nambigal , " O Anantharya ! Having nursed Thee , I now reap the fruit." Anantha Suri was some sort of a chronicler. His Venkatchala Ithihasamala represents to Tirupati what Koil Olugu is to Srirangam. The Holy triumvirate of Saint Ramanuja , Ananthalvan and Peria Thirumalai Nambigal at a conference at the third visit of Ramanuja set up the Pedda Jeeyangar Mutt to regulate the vaikansa agama form of worship. The Saint began his SriBashya with an invocation to the Lord as Brahmani Srinivasa. This was a free Sanskrit rendering of Nammalwar's famous hymn addressing the Lord as "Alarmelmangai Urai Marba." Epigraphs TT 171 , 173 and 175 on the Tirumalai Hills show Ananthalvan's dedication to Saint Ramanuja. His word was gospel to him. Whatever was dear to Ramanuja was dearer to Ananthalvan. He prays to Ramanuja to bless him with the noble spirit to imbibe the teachings of Nammalwar. His devotion to Andal was so great that on one occasion he was seen diving deep down the Srivilliputtur temple tank to search for the remnants of holy turmeric if any used by Andal. He composed the Ramanuja Chautsloki showing how

Srirangam, The Tirumalai Hills , Kanchi and Melkote were dear to Ramanuja. His Gotha Chatusloki is a work of great art, rich in lines whose depth of thought , warmth of feeling , glow of imagery and grace of phrases will ring for centuries in every land where the glory of Andal is cherished. The Srivaishnava ignores ordinary mortals and awaits the arrival of a true Gnani so that he may surrender to that Mahatma through devotion to service. Not for him the different parts of the Vedas which are not always of universal appeal. Like the cock picking up the good grains from the chaff , the Vaishnava will swear by the Dravida Veda of Nammalwar. Just as the salt dissolves itself in food and becomes useful thereby , the Srivaishnava effaces himself in Bhagavath, Bhaagavatha and Acharya Kainkarya. Like the Brahmin from Srirangam , he is free of ego or arrogance , always humble and devoted to the Srivaishnava clan. Ananthalvan's final sacred gift to the pilgrims visiting the Hills was the shrine for Ramanuja. The image was presented to Ananthalvan by Saint Ramanuja Himself on request and was consecrated after the Saint shuffled off his mortal coil. Consecration may be later in time but the image itself is more ancient than those in Sriperumbudur , Srirangam and Thirunarayanapuram.Ananthalvan rebukes Nanjeeyar for taking to Sanyas. For him liberation is attained by service to the community. Indeed Ananthalvan advises his disciple Vaishnava Dasa to spend his wealth for the upliftment of the poor and the down trodden if he is to aspire for the grace of Lord Venkateswara.Ananthalvan joined eternity with the Lord on the sacred Thiru Adi Pooram day. Even today , Lord Venkateswara visits the garden and bestows honours on the Magizha Tree.The satari at the main sanctum sanctorum is known as Sadagopa in remembrance of Nammalwar. The one in the Ramanuja shrine is known as Ananthalvan.The Vaishnava community always held religious beliefs as filling too vital a function in sustaining individual morality and morale and social order and control. Ananthalvan belonged to a different clime and a different age , but it was not blind faith but faith married to reason. [edit]Inside [edit]The

the Temple

Garbha Griha

The Garbha Griha or sanctum is where the main deity of Lord Sri Venkateswara resides. The deity stands majestically in the Garbha Griha, directly beneath a gilt dome called the Ananda Nilaya Divya Vimana.This exquisitely wrought deity called the Mulaberam, is believed to be self-manifested, as there has been no known sculptor possessing the capability to sculpt deities so proportionately and beautifully. Further, no human being is known to have installed it in the shrine. Ordinarily, the Lord wears a gold kiritam (crown) which has a large emerald embedded in front. On special occasions, he is adorned with a diamond kiritam.On his forehead, the Lord has a thick double patch of tilak drawn with refined camphor, which screens his eyes. In between the two white patches is a kasturitilakam.His ears are bedecked with shining golden makara kundalas. The fist of His raised right hind hand is implanted with a gem-set chakra, and the corresponding left fist with the sankha. The slightly outstretched front right hand, has its fingers pointing to

His lotus feet, as the only recourse to His devotees to attain oneness with Him and enjoy eternal bliss. His front left hand is akimbo to assure His devotees of protection, and to show that the samsara sagara is only hip-deep if they seek His refuge.His body is clothed with a pitambaram tied with gold string, and a gold belt to which are attached tiny, jingling gold bells. He is adorned with precious ornaments. He has a yajnopavita flowing down cross-wise from His left shoulder. He bears Sri Lakshmi Devi on His right chest and Sri Padmavathi Devi on His left chest. He bears Nagabharanam ornaments on both shoulders.His lotus feet are covered with gold frames and decked with clinging gold anklets. A strong curved belt of gold encompasses his legs.The Ananda Nilaya Divya Vimana was covered with gilt copper plates and surmounted with a golden vase, in the thirteenth century, during the reign of the Vijayanagara king, Yadava Raya.Pilgrims are not allowed to enter the Garbha Gruha (beyond Kurasekara path)[edit] Sri Ramanuja ShrineAdjacent to the Sangeeta Bhandara in the northern corridor of the Vimana Pradakshinam is the shrine of Sri Ramanuja, the great Vaishnava Acharya. It is also called the Bhashyakara Sannidhi. [edit]Presence

of Ramanuja

Ramanuja was the architect of Tirupati and the father of the Sri Vaishnava community there. He designed the Nandanavanams or flower gardens of the temple. He was mainly responsible for managing the worship procedures and other affairs of the Sri Venkateswara temple.The shrine was built around the 13th century. It overlooks the western end of the Tirumamani Mandapam. The Pandyan emblem of two fish and a hook is carved on the wall next to the entrance.The right hand of the stone image of Ramanuja is held in the gesture of exposition (vyakhyana mudra), and the left hand in the form of boon bestowal (varada hasta), or of holding a book (pustaka hasta). The shrine figures prominently during the festival of Adhyayanotsavam, which is a typical Pancharatra observance. Special worship is conducted in this shrine during Gandhapodi Utsavam and Bhashyakara Utsavam. The utsava murthi of Ramanuja is taken in a grand procession to meet Malayappa near the Padi Kavali.There are two tall copper images of the dwarapalakas Jaya and Vijaya on either side of the door. The thick wooden door is covered with gilt plates depicting the dasavataram of Sri Maha Vishnu. [edit]Main

shrine

TirumalaTemple Entrance

Outside view of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple.

Venkateshwara's abode is in the Venkatadri hills near Tirupathi. Thus, the main temple of Venkateshwara is the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. The Tirumala temple is believed to be the richest temple in the world. The temple is located in Andhra Pradesh (southern India) in Chittoor district. It is around 500 km (310 mi) from Hyderabad , 150 km (93 mi) away from Chennai and 250 km (160 mi) away from Bangalore The Tirumala Hill is 3,200 feet (980 m) above sea level, and is about 10.33 square miles (27 km2) in area. It comprises seven peaks, representing the seven hoods of Adisesha, thus earning the name, Seshachalam. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. The sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara [8] is located on the seventh peak, Venkatadri (Venkata Hill), and lies on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini. The temple complex comprises a smaller

traditional temple building along with a number of modern queue and pilgrim lodging sites. There are several legends associated with the manifestation of the Lord in Tirumala. [edit]Vimanam The roof with shining golden exterior of the inner temple that houses the presiding deity is named "Vimanam" in a Hindu temple. In the Tirumala temple, it holds a very special place as the Ananda Nilayam (meaning Abode of Happiness or Bliss literally) with its imposing view, magnificence, and readily recognizable identity to any devotee familiar with the temple and its fame. [edit]Bangaru

Vakili

From the Tirumamani Mandapam, one can enter the Bangaru Vakili to reach the inner sanctum sanctorum. There are two tall copper images of the dwarapalakas Jaya and Vijaya on either side of the door. The thick wooden door is covered with gilt plates depicting the Dashavataram of Lord Vishnu. The doorway is directly in line with the Padi Kavali and the Vendi Vakili. It admits pilgrims to the Snapana Mandapam. Suprabhatam is sung in front of this door. [edit]Dieties

in temple

As per the 4 vedas of lord followed their, there are 5 idols of Lord inside the Sanctum Sanatorium.

1.

Moolavirat or Dhruva Beram - The main stone Diety of Lord Venkateshwara which is

Self Manifested is Called as Dhruva Beram (Beram means Diety). This Moolavirat or Moolavar or Dhruva beram is about 8 ft from toe to crown top and the main source of energy for the Temple. Only because of his powers the entire temple gets the power from.

2.

Kautuka Beram or Bhoga Srinivasa - This is a tiny one foot silver Diety,which was

offered to the temple in 614 AD by Pallava Queen Samavai Perindevi. This Diety was reconstituted to the temple in the series of worship and is regarded as Kautuka Beram. This Diety is popularly known as Bhoga Srinivasa. This is because this Diety enjoys all the Bhoga (worldly Pleasures) which the Moolavar has. It is this Diety which sleeps in the golden cot every night, it is this Diety which receives SahasraKalashabishekam every Wednesday. This Diety has never come out of the temple from the day it was engaged in daily worship in the temple. This Diety is always placed near the left foot of Moolavar and is always connected to the main Diety by a holy joint Sambandha Kroocha. This Diety is always faced to 45 degrees to the devotees who come to see the Lord. This is because this tiny Diety holds a Prayoga Chakra (Ready to strike), so its kept at an angle.

3.

Utsava Beram - This is the form of Lord which comes out of the temple to see his

devotees. This Diety is called as Malayappa and consorts are Sridevi and Bhudevi. All the 3 Dieties were found in a Cave called Malayappan Konai in the Holy Tirumala Hills. It happened

that Ugra Srinivasa was the Utsava Beram, and frequent fire disasters were happening whenever this Diety was taken out. Seeing the misery, all prayed to lord to show a solution where Lord appeared in the dreams and Ordered to find a suitable set of idols which are in the Holy Tirumala hills for the Utsavar. The hunt began and the Villagers who found this Idols called as Malayappa which means the King of the hills. So from then this idol was consorted into the temple worship and was named for Utsavas or Processions. Its only after the inclusion of these idols, the number of programs increased like, Nitya Kalyanaotsavam, SahasraDeepalankara Seva, Arjita Brahmotsavam, Nityaotsvam, Dolotsavam and so on. Jewells worth Millions of rupess came as offering to this idols.

4.

Snapana Beram or Ugra Srinivasa - This idol of lord represents the Anger part of Lord

Venkateshwara. He remains inside the Garbhagruha (Sanctum Sanctorum)and comes out only one day in a year that is before the sunrise on Kaishika Dwadasi. Snapana means Abhishekam or cleansing the idol with holy waters and milk,curds,ghee,Sandle wood paste,turmaric and so on. Daily this idol receives all this Upacharam or services.

5.

Bali Beram or Koluvu Srinivasa - Bali means the food offering to all the deities who

guard and maintain the directions. In Shastram 8 directions are prominent like, North, North-East, East, South-East, South, South-West, West & North-West. Each direction has AdhiDevata and Dikpala. When food is offered to them, This Lord comes out from the Garbhagruha and accompanies the Archaka who offers the food. But in Tirumala only archakas offer food and Lord stays in Garbhagruha. Koluvu means Durbar (Royal Court) which is held every morning where thePanchangam details of Today & Tomorrow are read and explained. Various Utsavas, the income of the previous day is explained to Lord. [edit]Worship

of Lord

The varied names ascribed to the main deity are Balaji, Srinivasa, Venkateswara and Venkatachalapathy. The goddess Sri or Lakshmi (Vishnu's consort) resides on the chest of Venkateswara, and thus he is also known by the epithet Srinivasa (the one in whom Sri resides). Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Padmavathi reside on his either chests. The deity is considered the Kali yuga varada, that is 'the boon-granting Lord of Kali yuga' (the fourth and final age of the Hindu cycle of ages). The temple is held in particular reverence by the Vaishnava sect of southern India, known as the Sri Vaishnava. For worshippers, the deity Venkateswara symbolises goodness. When people travel to Tirupati, they chant "Yedu Kondala Vada Venkataramana Govinda Govindaa" (in Telugu) or 'OM NAMO NARAYANAAYA' or 'OM SRI VENKATESAYA NAMAH' in Sanskrit.With His conch, He creates the cosmic sound from which the creation has manifested. And with His disc, He destroys ignoranceand ego in the beings, thus liberating

them. Lord Venkateswara is believed by followers to be a very merciful deity form of Vishnu, being the fulfiller of every wish made to him by the devotees. The Holy mantra chanted is Om Namo Venkateshaya. "The Venkateswara Suprabhatam", the morning recital of prayers and songs of awakening, is written by Prativadi Bhayankaram Annan of Kanchipuram and sung by famous singer M.S.subbulakshmi.[9] Several composers composed beautiful kirtanas about Lord Venkateswara, the most notable amongst them being Tyagaraja andAnnamacharya, who composed mostly in Telugu. Annamacharya or Annamayya is a legendary devotee of Lord Venkateswara and composed songs almost exclusively about the deity Lord Vishnu is Worshiped in the Temple as per Vaikhanasa Bhagvad Shastram, Vimanarchana Kalpam as said by Sage Mareechi. And as per that,Lord Vishnu here should be worshipped 6 times a day. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. UshaKala Aradhana - Aradhana or Worship should start and finish before Sunrise Prathakala Aradhana - Worship should start after sunrise and finish before Noon Madhyanika Aradhana - Worship should start and finish at noon Aparahana Aradhana - Worship should start when the sun starts to descend SandhyaKala Aradhana - Worship should start and finish around the sunset Ardharatri Aradhana - Worship should start after the horizon is completely dark

All the Aradhana(Worship) is done by Vaikhanasa Priests who are doing the Hereditary services for generations. Only these priests have the right to touch and offer services to the Lord. These set of Archakas are called Mirasidars (Owners & Share holders of the Temple). The 4 families of the Tirumala Temple which are in this Mirasi is

Gollapalli Family Peddintti Family Paidipalli Family Tirupathammagari Family

To assist the Archakas in temple work and rituals, Bhagvath Ramanujacharya established a Jeeyar Mattam where in this mattam would take care of the temple work. Workship Specially on Saturdays Lord SANESHWARA Took a boon from venkateshwara that who ever workship lord venkateshwara on saturdays with out having breakfast in morning those people will be booned by saneshwara also saturdays pooja will be equal to all other days sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday thats why people workship lord venkateshwara on saturdays also workship lord Saneshwara (Lord Shani ) on saturdays to give more happiness with little sorrows.

[edit]The

Temple activities

[edit]Prasadam Laddu is the world famous prasadam given at Tirumala Temple.[10] recently the Trust has taken copy right of Laddu prasaddam, hence, no one can prepare the same Laddu. Many other delicious prasadams are also available including daddojanam (curd rice), pulihora(tamarind rice), vada and chakkera-pongali (sweet pongal). Free meals are given daily to the pilgrims, and on Thursdays, the Tirupavadai seva occurs, where food items are kept for naivedyam to Lord Srinivasa. Tirupati Laddu Prasadam and GI controversy The grant of Geographical Indication tag to Tirupati laddu by Indian Patent Office in 2009 raised many eye brows, as it paves the way for enhanced commercialization of faith. The patent grant became a controversy soon. R.S. Praveen Raj, a scientist and IPR expert from Kerala filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of GI tag to Tirupati laddu,[11] but withdrew the same as a similar public interest petition was filed before the Madras High Court by another person.[12] Later, Madras High Court dismissed the petition [13] on the ground that there already existed an alternate and efficacious remedy, in the form of rectification plea before the Registrar of GIs or the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB). The scientist, who had earlier filed the PIL in Supreme Court, then petitioned IPAB requesting it to initiate an action on its own will (suo motu) for the cancellation of GI status to the Tiruppathi laddu. But IPAB wrote back to him stating that it had no such power to act on its own volition. The Scientist was not in a mood to give it up. Of late, he has registered an application with the GI Registry [14] seeking removal of the entry pertaining to Tirupati Laddu' from the GI Register. [edit]Hair

tonsuring

Many devotees have their head tonsured as an offer. The daily amount of hair collected is over a ton.[15] The hair thus gathered is sold by the temple organization a few times a year by public auction to international buyers for use as hair extensions and in cosmetics,[16] bringing over $6 million to the temple's treasury.[citation
needed]

As per puranas hair given by devotees is to coverup the lost hair(it is a very small portion) of lord

venkateshwara swamy[15] [edit]Lord

Venkateshwara's Hundi (Donation pot)

It is believed that Srinivasa had to make arrangements for his wedding. Lord Kubera credited money to the GOD Venkateshwara (a form of the god Vishnu) for his marriage with Padmavati.Srinivasa sought a loan of one crore and 14 lakh 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.In remembrance of this, the reason devotees go to Tirupati to donate money in Venkateshwara's Hundi ("Donation pot"), is so

that he can pay it back to Kubera.The Hundi collections go as high as 2.25 crore INR a day.[17] Devotees offer gold as a token of their love for God.The annual gold offering goes as high as 3000 kg[18] [edit]Thulabaram One of the most important offering in this temple, is the thulabharam. In the Thulabaram ritual, a devotee sits on a pan of the 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 new born babies or children. [edit]Darshan

and queue system

Tirumala Temple and Vaikuntam Queue Complex (Semicircular building in the foreground) as seen from Srivari Padalu on Narayanagiri hill

Tirumala possibly has the most elaborate arrangement in India to sequence and guide the visiting devotees through the holy shrine. Because of the ever increasing daily rush of devotees, the temple authorities have set up a virtual queue system, where the devotees are given a specific time, only after which they will be allowed into the queue complex. This has resulted in a steep drop (by a factor of five) in the time that devotees need to spend within the Queue Complex leading to the main temple. There are two major kinds of Darshan (meaning "a glimpse of the Lord") at the temple. The first one being Dharma Darshanam - free darshan, which on average takes about 10 hours from the time you enter the Queue Complex. It is worth noting that during a high season (festivals, holidays, weekends and special occasions) Dharma darshanam can take as long as a whole day, while sometimes during low seasons it might take only an hour and can be quicker than any paid darshan. The second major type Sheegra darshan - costs Rs 300 and takes only 0.45 - 1.5 hrs for darshan. There are also special queues for senior citizens (above 75 years old), Non-Resident Indians, and for parents with children (below 1 years). One other person

is usually allowed to accompany the senior or the child to assist them in the darshan line. Devotees who fall in this category should be sure to inquire with temple officials about the special queue, as it can significantly reduce the time and effort needed for darshan. Individual devotees for Sudarshanam, as well as free darshanam are required to register (get a ticket/token) at any of the many queue offices situated near the main shrine, or at the local rail and bus stations in Tirumala and Tirupati, or at TTD offices in other key cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi,Bhubaneswar and many more. At registration, devotees can choose the expected date and time of entry into the Vaikuntam Queue Complex. At the time of registration, biometrics (finger printing and photo) are taken to eliminate the involvement of middlemen. Devotees contributing for Special Darshan or Puja Darshan tickets are moved up the queue virtually as well as physically inside the temple complex, though all devotees are treated equally from the point of entry into the sanctum sanctorum. During high season (festival periods, holidays, weekends and special temple puja periods) the queues at the ticket offices itself can be quite overwhelming. Hence it is recommended that the devotee get his ticket (if possible) in advance from TTD offices nearest to their hometown and not in Tirupati. The queue does not literally mean standing - these are huge halls in the queue complex each accommodating about 300 persons, where you can sit (and watch religious programs on a TV which also telecasts rituals from inside the temple). There are toilets, and for those seeking the free Dharma Darsanam, free food (sambar rice/curd rice) and coffee/tea served every couple of hours. Once the gates exiting the halls are opened, the devotee joins the actual queue, and from this point in the queue it might take about 6090 minutes (standing/walking) to reach the sanctum sanctorum and have Darshan. Typically, one gets to see the idol of the Lord for about 1015 seconds during high season to about sixty seconds during low season, and there's hustling by the volunteers to ensure that the queue progresses quickly.[19] [edit]Arjitha

seva (paid services)

Main article: Seva in Tirumala 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.[20] [edit]The

Seven Hills

The seven hills represent the Saptarishi. They sometimes called the Sapathagiri. Hence the Lord is named Saptagirinivasa. Following are the seven hills:

Vrushabadri (Hill of Nandi, the vahana of Lord Shiva) Anjanadri (Hill of Lord Hanuman) Neeladri (Hill of Neela Devi) - When Lord Balaji was hit by a shepard on his head, a small portion of

his scalp becomes bald. There is no hair growth over there and this is noticed by a Gandharva princess Neela Devi. She feels "such an attractive face should not have a flaw". Immediately she cuts a portion of her hair and with her magical power she implants it on his scalp. Then Lord Balaji notices her sacrifice as hair is the beautiful aspect of female, he promises her that all his devotees who come to his abode should render their hair to him and she would be the recipient of all that hair received. Hence it is believed that hair offered by the devotees is accepted by Neela devi.

Garudadri (Hill of Garuda, the vahana of Lord Vishnu) Seshadri (Hill of Sesha, the dasa of Lord Vishnu) Naraynadri (Hill of Narayana (Vishnu)) Venkatadri (Hill of Lord Venkateswara)

Sri Venkatesa Suprabhatam, the range of 7 hills are known that Seshalam, Garudachalam, Venkatadri, Narayanadri, Vrishabhadri, Anjanadri, Neeladri. and represents the great serpent bed. [edit]Festivals

Elephants marching during festival at Tirumala

The town celebrates most Vaishnava festivals including Vaikunta Ekadasi, Rama Navami and Janmashtami with great splendor, while the Brahmotsavam celebrated every year during September is the most important festivals in Tirumala, when it receives millions of devotees over a short span of a week. Other major festivals includeVasanthotsavam (spring festival) conducted during MarchApril and Rathasapthami (Magha Shuddha Saptami) is another festival, celebrated during February, when Lord Venkateswara's deity is taken on procession around the temple chariots.