Sri Venkatesawara Perumal

1. The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, also known as the Tirupati Balaji Temple, shines as a radiant gem among the many sacred sites of India. 
2. Situated in the picturesque town of Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district, this temple signifies more than a mere place of worship; 
3. It embodies faith, culture, heritage, and spirituality. Dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, an incarnation of the Hindu deity Vishnu, the temple boasts a rich history, magnificent architecture, and a profound impact on the lives of countless devotees who undertake a pilgrimage to this hallowed sanctuary.
4. The history of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple dates back over a millennium, making it a repository of tradition and spiritual heritage. 
5. Various dynasties and rulers have contributed to the temple’s development and preservation over the years.
6. The temple’s ancient roots can be traced to the Pallava dynasty, which had a strong influence on the region during the 9th century. 
7. Subsequently, the Chola dynasty played a crucial role in further developing and patronising the temple. 
8. Later on, during the reign of the Vijayanagara Empire, the temple received significant contributions and endowments, solidifying its place in the religious landscape of South India.
9. One of the defining moments in the temple’s history was when the famous saint, Ramanuja, played a pivotal role in reviving the temple and its rituals in the 12th century. 
10. His devotion and teachings continue to inspire the temple’s practices and beliefs.
11. According to the legend, Tirumala was a holy place and was known with the names of Vrishabhachala, Anjanachala and Sheshachala respectively during the Krita, Treta and Dwapara eras and Venkatachala in Kaliyuga.
12. Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple is a landmark Vaishnavite temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. 
13. 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. 
14. Hence the place has also got the name Kaliyuga Vaikuntam and Lord here is referred to as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam. 

Mention in Silapathikaram

1. The temple finds a mention in the Sangam epic Silappathikaram commonly dated 2nd century CE, Kovalan meeting a Brahmin asks him where he is from and why did he come here, and he Replied "I came to satisfy my heart’s desire, to see with my own eyes the glory of Vishnu, whom many worship with prayer as He reposes with Lakshmi in His chest, on the couch of the thousand hooded Serpent, in the temple in island jutting out on the widening waves of the Kaveri, even as the blue clouds repose supine on the slopes of the lofty golden mountain (Meru)." 
2. This line mentions Srirangam and next he mentions Tirumala as follows, "I also came to see the beauty of the red-eyed Lord, holding in His beautiful lotus-hands the discus which is death to His enemies, and also the milk white conch (to see Him) wearing a garland of tender flowers on His chest, and draped in golden flowers and dwelling on the topmost crest of the tall and lofty hill named Venkatam with innumerable waterfalls, standing like a cloud in its natural hue, adorned with a rainbow and attired with lightning, in the midst of a place both sides of which are illumined by the spreading rays of the sun and the moon.

Mediaeval history

1. The first recorded endowment was made by Pallava queen Samavai in the year 966 CE. 
2. She donated many jewels and two parcels of land (one 10 acres and other 13 acres) and ordered use of the revenues generated from that land for the celebration of major festivals in the temple.
3. The Pallava dynasty (9th century), the Chola dynasty (10th century), and Vijayanagara pradhans (14th and 15th centuries) were committed devotees of Venkateswara. 
4. The temple gained most of its current wealth and size under the Vijayanagara Empire, present-day Karnataka state, with the donation of diamonds and gold. 
5. In the 16th century, Vijayanagara Empire Krishnadevaraya was a frequent donor and visitor to the temple. 
6. His donations of gold and jewels enabled the Ananda Nilayam (inner shrine) roofing to be gilded. 
7. On 2 January 1517, Krishnadevaraya installed his own statue in the temple.
8. After the decline of Vijayanagara Empire, rulers from states such as the Kingdom of Mysore and the Gadwal Samsthanam worshipped as pilgrims and donated ornaments and valuables to the temple.
9. Maratha general Raghoji I Bhonsle set up a permanent administration for the conduct of worship in the temple. 
10. He donated valuable jewels to the Lord which are still preserved in a box named after him. 
11. Between 1320 CE and 1369 CE, idols of Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam were brought to this temple for safe keeping.

Ramanujacharya's visits



1. In the 11th and 12th centuries, Ramanujacharya visited Tirupati thrice. 
2. On the first occasion, he spent a year with his uncle, Tirumalai Nambi, learning the esoteric meaning of Ramayana. 
3. His second visit was to settle a dispute that arose between the Shaivites and Vaishnavites regarding the nature of the image set up in the Tirumala temple. 
4. During the last visit, which was at an advanced old age of 102 years, the acharya installed the image of Govindaraja and laid the foundations of the present town of Tirupati. 
5. Ramanuja streamlined the rituals at Tirumala temple according to Vaikanasa Agama tradition and introduced the recitation of Naalayira Divya Prabandham. 
6. He also set up Tirupati Jeeyar Mutt in 1119 AD in consultation with Tirumalai Ananthalwan to institutionalise service to the deity and supervise the temple rituals. The Jeeyars to this day ensure that the rituals ordained by Ramanuja are observed.

Modern history

1. After the end of Vijayanagara Empire, the temple went into the hands of Golconda in July 1656 and then it was under the French for a short period of time and under Nawab of Carnatic till 1801 CE. 
2. With the advent of the British during the early 19th century, the management of the temple passed to hands of the East India Company, who accorded special status to the temple and avoided interference in temple activities. 
3. Madras government passed Regulation seven of 1817, which passed the temple to the Board of Revenue through the collector of North Arcot District. In 1821, Bruce, the then East India company commissioner for Chittoor district, had drawn rules for the management of the Temple which is referred to as Bruce's Code.
4. The 7th Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan donated ₹8,000 to the temple.
5. In 1843, the East India Company transferred the Administration of Temple along with other Temples in Tirupati to Mahants of Hathiramji Muth, who acted as Vicaranakartas. 
6. It was under the rule of Mahants for six generations until 1933 when Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams was formed as a result of the TTD Act in 1933.
7. The Act of 1933 was superseded by Madras Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Act of 1951. 
8. Again in 1966, the temple was placed under direct control of Andhra pradesh State Endowments Department, with Andhra Pradesh Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments act. 
9. In 1979, act of 1966 was rolled back with new Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams act, where temple administration was vested to a committee consisting of Executive officer, Chairman and two other members nominated by Government of Andhra Pradesh.
10. The temple is run by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) which is under control of Andhra Pradesh Government. 
11. The head of TTD is appointed by the Andhra Pradesh Government. The revenue from this shrine is used by the Andhra Pradesh government.
12. The temple bears as many as 640 inscriptions in Kannada, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu languages. 
13. There is a unique collection of about 3000 copper plates on which the Telugu Sankirtanas of Tallapaka Annamacharya and his descendants are inscribed.
14. This collection forms a valuable source of material for a historical linguist in Telugu apart from its importance to musicologists.

OTHER NAMES OF TEMPLE AND DEITY:

1. The temple is also known by other names like Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple, Tirupati Balaji Temple.
2. He is also known as Maal, ThiruMaal, Manivannan, Balaji (though this is a more recent name), Srinivasa. Venkatesha, Venkatanatha, Thiruvengadam Udaiiyaan, Tiruvengadattaan and many other names. 
3. He is also worshipped with the name Tirupati Thimmappa all over Karnataka by traditionally Shiva-worshipping communities. 
4. In Hinduism also spelled as Venkateshwer or Venkatachalapathi is a much-worshipped form of Vishnu. He is also known as Balaji or Lord Venkateshwara. 
5. He is also worshipped with the name Tirupati Thimmappa all over Karnataka by traditionally Shiva worshipping communities. Venkateshwara is the presiding deity at the Tirumala temple complex, believed to be the richest of all the Hindu shrines in the world.
6. The presence of seven hills influenced alternate names for the deity: Edukondalavada in Telugu and as Ezhumalaiyan in Tamil both of which mean Lord of the Seven Hills.

ADMINISTRATION AND CONSTRUCTION:

1. The ancient temple has seen the reigns of many powerful kings over centuries. 
2. There are about 1180 stone carvings in the temple from different ruling dynasties like the Cholas, Chalukyas, Achchuthan Rayar Dynasty, and Sadasiva Rayar.
3. The construction of the Tirupati temple goes back to around 300 AD during the reign of King Thondaiman of Tondaimandalam kingdom. Later various kings and queens expanded the temple construction and administered the happenings inside the temple complex. 
4. Pallava Queen Samavati had donated her precious jewels and 23 acres of land to the temple.
5. Later during the Chola Kings developed the temple further and added to its riches. The Vijayanagara rulers, especially Kriishnadevaraya, showered the temple with many ornaments of gold and diamonds.
6. After the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire, East India Company took over the temple administration and leased it to tenants for various purposes. 
7. The British later transferred the administration to the Hathiramji Muth which took care of the temple until 1933.
8. After that, the ”Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam” (TTD) handled the temple administration for some years until a court order transferred it to the Andhra Pradesh government in 1966. 
9. However, this order was rolled back in 1979 and a committee having members from the government and the TTD trust was formed. 
10. This temple committee has been taking care of the day-to-day activities of the temple till date.  

PURANIC SIGNIFICANCE 1:

1. The historical temple of Tirupati has many widespread stories associated with it. 
2. According to the most famous story, at the starting of Kali Yug, Narad Muni, the messenger of Gods, asked the saints performing Yajna who was the most worthy of the three supreme gods (Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma) to be offered the fruit of the Yajna. 
3. Sage Bhrigu was sent to test the powers of all three gods, but he went unnoticed by Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma.
4. Finally, when he went to Lord Vishnu, he was angered at the god not noticing him. He kicked Lord Vishnu on his chest, to which Lord Vishnu reacted politely and apologised to saint Bhrigu by massaging his feet. 
5. Since Goddess Lakshmi resided in Vishnu’sVishnu’s chest, she took it as an insult and left Vaikuntam (Abode of Vishnu) to meditate on earth.
6. Saddened by her departure, Lord Vishnu also starts meditating on earth as his human incarnation called Srinivasa. 
7. Knowing this, Lakshmi requests Brahma and Shiva to take care of Srinivasa, and they both take the form of cow and calf. 
8. Goddess Lakshmi sent the cow and calf to Chola king, and he appointed a cowherd. 
9. When the cow starts feeding Srinivasa on Tirumala hill, the cowherd attacks Srinivasa. 
10. Lord Vishnu then cursed King Chola for the disobedience of his servant.
11. In his next life, Chola king had a daughter named Padmavati whom he married off to Srinivasa to repent his mistake. 
12. When Devi Lakshmi came to know this, she confronted Srinivasa in the presence of Padmavati. 
13. At that moment, the Lord froze himself and stayed there in the form of an idol. Goddess Lakshmi and Padmavati also decided to stay with him and can be seen by his side in the temple today. 

PURANIC SIGNIFICANCE 2:

1. During Kali Yuga, Rishis (Sages) were performing a Yajna (fire ritual) and were asked by Narada as to who will bear the fruit of the Yajna. 
2. They decided to send Sage Bhrigu to test the God Trinity to find out who is fit for the fruits of the sacred ritual. 
3. The sage had an extra eye in his feet. He visited Lord Brahma at Satyaloka and Lord Shiva at Kailash and went unnoticed. 
4. Angered by this, he reached Lord Vishnu’s abode Vaikunta where Vishnu was lying on his snake bed (Adisesha) and Goddess Lakshmi was massaging his feet.
5. On seeing this, Sage Bhrigu got infuriated thinking that Vishnu was pretending to sleep to avoid him and kicked the Lord in his chest. 
6. Vishnu opened his eyes and pacified the sage by pressing his feet, thereby squashing his third eye. 
7. However, Lakshmi was furiously angry at the Sage for kicking Vishnu in his chest, where the Goddess resides and left Vaikunta.
8. Lord Vishnu bore the human form of Srinivasa in Tirumala Hills and married Padmavati, daughter of Akasaraja. 
9. On hearing this, Goddess Lakshmi reached Tirumala to question Vishnu about the wedding. It is told that Srinivasa turned into stone when he was encountered by Lakshmi and Padmavati. 
10. They were insisted by Lords Brahma and Shiva to turn into stone as well, as their wish was to be with the Lord forever. 
11. Lakshmi stays on the left side of his chest and Padmavati on the right side.