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Lord Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala (Tirupati) is one of the most famous temples in India. With more than 35 million pilgrims visiting the temple every year, it is one of the most visited holy places and also one of the richest temples in the world. Built on the Venkata Hill, which is a part of the famous Seshachalam Hills, Tirupati Temple is considered as one of the holiest shrines by the Hindus. According to a legend, Lord Vishnu assumed the form of Sri Venkateswara to save mankind from the adversities of Kali Yuga.
History & Legends Associated with the Temple
There are many legends associated with the origin of this age-old temple. The larger than life statue of the main deity is said to have formed on its own, making it one of the eight ‘Swayambhu Kshetras’ (self-manifested image) of Lord Vishnu. Many ancient texts, including the Rig Veda mention the existence and prominence of the temple. Written texts, which are dated back to the Mauryan and Gupta era, refer the temple as ‘Aadhi Varaha Kshetra’. In fact, many other texts and theories link the history of Tirupati Temple to Lord Varaha, one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu. According to a legend, Lord Varaha created the entire Seshachalam Hills so that Adisesha, the seven-headed snake on which Vishnu rests, could rest on earth. Interestingly, Seshachalam Hills has seven peaks, which are said to be the representation of the heads of Adisesha.
As far as the construction of the temple is concerned, King Thondaiman of Tondaimandalam kingdom constructed the precincts and the towering gateway (Gopuram) of the temple. He also made sure his subjects worshipped the Lord regularly.
The construction of the temple too has many legends associated with it. One such legend has it that Lord Vishnu appeared in King Thondaiman’s dream and asked him to construct the temple. The temple was later expanded by various kings and emperors who ruled over the place. Starting from 300 AD, the Tirupati Temple was built over a period of time. One of the earliest recorded evidences state the generosity of Pallava queen Samavai; she had donated precious jewels and 23 acres of land for celebrating the major festivals of the temple. During the Chola dynasty, the temple was developed further as many Chola Kings embellished it with riches. When the Vijayanagara Empire took over, diamonds and gold were donated to the temple. Krishnadevaraya, one of the famous Emperors of Vijayanagara, visited the temple on multiple occasions and contributed to the construction of the temple.
After the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire, the temple was patronised by several kings until the advent of the East India Company. When the British took over the temple, they leased it for various purposes to different tenants. The East India Company then bestowed the administration of the temple to the chief priest of Hathiramji Muth. The Hathiramji Muth administered the temple until 1933, after which the ‘Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam’ (TTD) took over the administration of the temple. In 1966, a court order transferred the administration of the temple to the government of Andhra Pradesh. This order was rolled back in 1979, when the administration of the temple was vested to the members of TTD. A committee, including a couple of members representing the government of Andhra Pradesh, was formed for running the day-to-day administration.
South India unique are their grand structure, done beautifully in Vijaya Nagara and Dravidian styles. Like literally, you’ll find no compromised work of art anywhere in South India especially when it comes to the Hindu temples where a plethora of devotees throng from the world over. Each shrine in South India, irrespective of its location displays fine artwork not only in the interiors but also outside on the Gopurams (spire). For instance, the exquisite decor of the popular Sabarimala Sastha Temple in Sabarimala simply takes one’s breath away and how can we miss out on the colourful facade of Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, which is simply divine! The richness of South India temples does not limit to just the architecture but belief as well where millions of devotees gather to pay respect to holy figures. You can expect to witness the interesting rituals like hair offering or tonsuring to Lord Venkateswara. We can surely say that, there are no shortage of temples to tour in the South Indian states and to keep your pilgrimage holiday even better, we have compiled a list of must visit temples in South India.
