Do you know about Tirumala Tirupati Temple?

Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple is located in Thirumala, Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh and is very special to the Hindus. This temple is the richest temple in the country. Thousands of devotees visit this place every day. Here are some important facts about this temple which has a history of thousands of years.

Many myths such as Varaha Purana, Garuda Purana, Harivansha Purana, Vamana Purana, Brahma Purana and Bhavishyottara Purana describe the uniqueness of Thirumala Kshetra. Varaha Purana says that Sri Mahavishnu incarnated as Venkateswara Swami.

Srivastava is worshiped daily with ornaments as well as exquisite flowers and spices. Devotees offer 100 to 200 kg of flowers every day for the worship of Swami. Flowers come in large numbers for festivals and special occasions.

The idol of the Swami in the temple is 2.4 meters high and carved in black stone. It is a statue of Swayambhu. Apart from the main idol, the surrounding smaller idols are known as Bhoga Srinivasa, Koluvu Srinivasa, Ugra Srinivasa and Malayappa Swamy. Malayappa Swami, accompanied by Sridevi and Bhudevi, is taken in procession during the Brahmotsavala.

These Brahmotsavas are held for nine days. During this period, the Swami is paraded through the streets in one incarnation each day.

Every day 70,000 devotees come to the hill to visit the Swami. More than one lakh devotees visit the Swami on special occasions like Brahmotsavala.

Devotees who come to Thirumala first visit Varaha Swami in the northwestern part. There is a history behind this. Varahaswamy donated the land to Venkateswara Swamy. In return, Sri Venkateswaraswamy told Varahaswamy that the devotees who came to Thirumala would first visit Varahaswamy and then perform pujas.

The main entrance of the temple is made of brass with a height of 15.24 meters. The gateway is also known as Padivakili, Simhadwaram and Periya Thiruvasal. If you go through this gate you can go near the flagpole. There is also a silver porch and a gold porch after the main entrance.

The sanctum sanctorum is called Ananda Nilayam. Formerly it was possible to make rounds around the Ananda Nilayam. But the roundabout was closed after the construction of the Sayanna Mandapam, the mandapa of Lord Rama.

On the left side of the sanctum sanctorum is the Vaikuntha gate facing east. It is open only on Vaikuntha Ekadashi and Dwadashi every year. Passing through this gate is considered the most sacred.

The Ranganaikula Mandapam is one of the many mandalas in Thirumala. In the 14th century, the idol of Ranganath in Srirangapatna was preserved in a pavilion in Thirumala to protect it from Islamic invasion. Shortly after that the idol was taken back to Srirangapatna. However, the area is still worshiped by devotees. This place is called Srirangam.

The flagpole in Thirumala is also very special. During the Brahmotsavala, as part of the flag hoisting, the Garuda flag is hoisted on the flagpole and the three deities are invited to the Brahmotsavala. The Rutviks see the Darbhachapa around the flagpole with Vedic mantras

The temple is said to have been built in the year 300 AD. Since then many emperors have made various changes in this temple. Hence the temple inscriptions reflect the period of the Pallavas, Cholas and Vijayanagara kings along with the Dravidians. When the English ruled India, they also earned income from here.

Most of the devotees who come for massage offer their hair to the Lord. There is also an interesting story behind this. In an accident, Srinivasan lost some hair on his forehead. At that time, a Gandharva princess offered her hair to the lord. It is believed that since then devotees have started offering their hair to the Swami.

Thirumala Temple is located on the Venkatadri in the Seshachalam Hills at an elevation of 762 m above sea level. Devotees come here by road as well as on foot. There are two ways to go up the hill. They are also known as Alipiri Mettu and Srivari Mettu.

The Thirumala Srivari Temple is maintained by the Tirumala Tirupati Temple (TTD). The trust was established in 1933. TTD maintains many temples in the country.

The Thirumala Srivari Temple is maintained by the Tirumala Tirupati Temple (TTD). The trust was established in 1933. TTD maintains many temples in the country.

The main temple is 126.5 meters long and 80.16 meters wide. Devotees have only one way to get to and from the temple. Devotees are sent to the temple in batches during peak hours. This means that after one batch of darshan is completed, another batch is allowed into the temple.

TTD decided in March 2020 to ban the entry of devotees to Tirumala due to the corona epidemic. This is the first time in the 128-year history of the temple that devotees are not allowed up the hill. Devotees are allowed up the hill from June 11.

It is the richest temple in the country. For the first time on September 5, hundi income crossed Rs. This is the first time since the temple was reopened that the revenue has come in one day. TTD announced in 2019 that there are currently over 9,000 gold treasures within the temple.

The laddu offered as an offering to Srivari is very famous. Tirupati Laddu has also received Geographical Indication (GI) recognition.

Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai receiving prasadam after visiting Srivastava on April 22, 2007 (pictured)