Tirupati Tourism

The city of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh is today synonymous with Sri Venkateswara Temple and has developed owing to the tourism it gets from pilgrims. It is one of the richest pilgrim destinations in the world and the busiest too. The word Tirupati has been derived from both Tamil and Sanskrit. In Tamil, Tiru refers to a holy or sacred and Pati is a Sanskrit word meaning husband or owner. The deity is hence known as ‘Owner of the Holy land’.

Sri Venkateswara Temple is centuries old and facts about its origin are still foggy. However, many kingdoms like those of Pallavas, Cholas and Vijayanagara Empire maintained its glory all these years. The visitors are expected to follow certain code of conduct here. Being a holy place, consumption of alcohol and meat is prohibited. The clothing is to be essentially decent. Taking a dupatta or wearing saree is a must for women.

History
All the great dynasties of rulers of the southern peninsula have paid homage to Lord Sri Venkateswara in this ancient shrine. The Pallavas of Kancheepuram (9th century AD), the Cholas of Thanjavur (a century later), the Pandyas of Madurai, and the kings and chieftains of Vijaynagar (14th-15th century AD) were devotees of this shrine.

It was during the rule of the Vijaynagar dynasty that the contributions to the temple increased. Krishnadevaraya had statues of himself and his consorts installed at the portals of the temple, and these statues can be seen to this day. There is also a statue of Venkatapati Raya in the main temple. The Maratha general, Raghoji Bhonsle visited the temple and set up a permanent endowment for the conduct of worship in the temple. He also presented valuable jewels to the Lord, including a large emerald that is still preserved in a box named after the general. Among the later rulers who have endowed large amounts are the rulers of Mysore and Gadwal.

In AD 1843, the administration of the shrine of Sri Venkateswara and a number of estates were entrusted to Sri Seva Dossji of the Hatiramji Mutt at Tirumala, and the temple remained under the administration of the Mahants for nearly a century, until AD 1933.

In 1933, the Madras Legislature passed a special act, which empowered the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Committee to control and administer a fixed group of temples in the Tirumala-Tirupati area, through a Commissioner appointed by the Government of Madras. In 1951, the Act of 1933 was replaced by an enactment whereby the administration of TTD was entrusted to a Board of Trustees, and the Government appointed an Executive Officer.