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For one of the major Hindu denominations, the Tirumala Sri Venkateshvara Temple at Tirupati in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is the most famous Vaishnavite temple in the world. The presiding deity of Vishnu here is referred to as Venkateshvara. There are many legends regarding this temple. The Sri Venkatachala Mahatyam is the most accepted legend among these, which provides the religious account of the history of the temple across various yugas. This place had also been mentioned in many Puranas.
As per Varaha Purana, during Satya Yuga, Vishnu rescued the earth which was taken over by Hiranyaksha to Patala (underworld) in the form of Varaha – a wild boar with tusks. He fought a fierce duel with Hiranyaksa killed him. He then slashed the water and brought up the earth on his tusks. Brahma, the Devas and the sages extolled Adi Varaha's virtues, by chanting the Vedic mantras. They prayed to him to re-establish the earth as before. Varaha obliged them, and called upon Brahma to recreate the world. He expressed his desire to reside on the earth to protect its people. He commanded his vahana, Garuda to fetch Kridachala (an extensive natural hill with lofty peaks, embedded with gold and precious stones, and which resembled Shesha in shape) from Vaikuntha. Garuda brought Kridachala and deposited it on a sacred spot (to the East of Swami Pushkarini) chosen by Varaha. Brahma and the other holy personages requested the fearsome-looking Varaha to assume a tranquil and composed look, and rest on the hill to protect men and grant boons to people unable to reach God through Dhyana Yoga (meditation) and Karma Yoga (doing one's own duty). Varaha appeared with four arms and a white face. He was adorned with jewels and accompanied by Bhudevi. He resolved to stay at Venkatadri, under a divya vimana, to grant the prayers of devotees.
It is believed that the origins of the Tirumala Hills(Seshachalam Hills) lies in a contest between Vayu (the wind god) and Shesha (the first serpent). During the Dvapara Yuga, Shesha blocked Vayu from entering Vaikuntha as Vishnu was in the company of his consort, Lakshmi. An incensed Vayu challenged Shesha to a fight to decide the stronger between them, Vayu was tasked with trying to blow off Shesha from the holy Meru mountain while adisesha was asked to protect the peak with his hood. After a long time, Vayu appeared to stop and Shesha lifted his hoods assuming that he had won the contest. Then, all of a sudden, Vayu then blew away one of the peaks. The peak landed near the Swarnamukhi river.[ citation needed ] Shesha landed here and merged here with the hill. This hill is now known as Seshachalam Hills. A variant to the legend is that the contest created pandemonium on earth and Brahma, Indra and other gods pleaded with Shesha to relent. When Shesha accepted the plea, the peak (Ananda hill) and Shesha were blown off (from) Meru and landed near the banks of river Swarnamukhi. When Shesha was dejected and sad with his defeat, the gods converted Shesha into the seven hills with the hood named as Seshadri hill or Seshachalam hill or Venkatadri hill. Another variant to the story is: Shesha, fatigued by the contest was instructed by Vishnu to rest on earth in a place that he chose for his stay in Kali Yuga.[ citation needed ] That place is known as Tirupati.
In the Kali Yuga, a number of sages who were performing a yajna (ritual sacrifice) sought the advice of the sage-divinity Narada regarding which of the Trimurti the ceremony should be dedicated to. Narada suggested that the sage Bhrigu should be allowed to decide after he had met with each of the Trimurti in their abodes. Bhrigu visited Brahma in Brahmaloka and Shiva in Kailasha and went unnoticed by both of these deities. Bhrigu cursed Brahma that no temple would be erected for his worship; he cursed Shiva that temples on earth would worship him in the aninonic form of a lingam.
When Bhrigu visited Vaikuntha, Vishnu's abode, the deity was absorbed in meditation with his feet being attended to by his consort, the goddess Lakshmi. Feeling dishonoured by the lack of appropriate welcome, a furious Bhrigu kicked Vishnu on the chest. Vishnu stirred and apologised to the sage by massaging his feet. During this act, he squashed the extra eye that was present on the sole of Bhrigu's foot, which destroyed the sage's egotism. The sage, impressed by Vishnu's act, declared Vishnu to be the deity worthy of the dedication of the yajna. Lakshmi was outraged by the sage's misdemeanour and Vishnu's silence at the act, since she was spiritually associated with the chest of her consort. The goddess departed from Vaikuntha, arriving on earth.
According to tradition, she arrived at the region of Varaha Kshetra and performed an intense penance for twelve years. The gods, terrified by her penance, mollified her into returning to Vaikuntha with the promise that she would be incarnated on the site of her penance as Padmavati during the rule of the king named Akasha Raja.
After the departure of the goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu left Vaikuntha and took his abode in an ant-hill on the Venkata Hill, under a tamarind tree and beside a pushkarini (lake). Brahma and Shiva, taking pity on the condition of Vishnu, assumed the forms of a cow and a calf to serve him. Surya, the sun god, informed Lakshmi of these events and requested her to sell the cow and calf to the king of the Chola country, assuming the form of a cowherdess.
The king of the Chola dynasty sent the cow and its calf to graze on the Venkatadri Hill along with his herd of cattle. Discovering Vishnu in the ant-hill, the cow every day emptied her udder over the ant-hill and thus fed the deity with pure milk. Over a period of time, the queen noticed that the cow did not yield any milk and chastised the cowherd severely.
The cowherd, seeking to investigate the cause, followed the cow and discovered the animal emptying her udder over the ant-hill. In his anger, the cowherd aimed a blow with his axe on the head of the cow. Instead, he struck Vishnu, who rose from the ant-hill to receive the blow and save the cow. On seeing Vishnu bleeding, the cowherd fell down and died. On the death of the cowherd, the cow returned to the king with blood stains on her body, bellowing in the presence of the king. An anxious king followed the cow to the scene of the incident. Near an ant-hill, the king found the cowherd lying dead on the ground.
He observed that the cows were offering their milk to Vishnu. However, Vishnu was in disguise, and so the king could not identify him. The king strung his arrow, believing that the milk should serve the kingdom rather than the boy he saw. Vishnu, once again, emerged, and grew enormous, stopped the arrows from passing further and he cursed the king for not maintaining the dharma of his kingdom. The king repented and surrendered at the deity's feet. Unlike the shepherd, the king had realised his mistake, which pleased Vishnu, and hence presented him with the boon that he would marry the king's daughter in his next birth.
In due time, the Chola king was reborn as Akasha Raja and though he ruled well, he had no children born to him. When he conducted yajna and was tilling the ground, he found a baby in a lotus flower and named her Padmavati and adopted her as his daughter. Vishnu reincarnated as Srinivasa (or presented himself after penance in the ant-hill) as the son of the elderly woman Vakula Devi, who was the rebirth of Yashoda the deity Krishna's foster-mother. Unhappy that she had been unable to attend Krishna's wedding to Rukmini, the deity promised that he would be reborn to her as a son, as Srinivasa.
In course of time Princess Padmavati grew up into a beautiful maiden and was visited by the sage Narada. On reading her palm, he foretold that she was destined to be the spouse of Vishnu himself. In due time, Srinivasa, on a hunting trip, was chasing a wild elephant in the forest. The elephant led him into a garden where Princess Padmavati and her maids were present .The sight of the elephant frightened them and their princess. When Srinivasa appeared in front of the elephant, it immediately turned round, saluted the deity, and disappeared into the forest. Srinivasa noticed the princess and enquired about her from her maids. Enthralled by her, Srinivasa lost interest in other activities and confided in Vakula Devi on his love for Padmavati. He also revealed his identity as Vishnu as well as told her about her past life as his foster-mother Yasodha.
Vakula Devi travelled from her hermitage to approach Akasha Raja with her proposal of marriage between Srinivasa and Padmavati. In the meantime, the restless deity came to the city in the disguise of a fortune-teller. Princess Padmavati also fell in love with Srinivasa and fell ill after returning to the palace. Unable to diagnose the cause of her sickness, the maids invited the fortune-teller into the palace to foretell the future of the princess. When the fortune-teller revealed that Padmavati was born to marry Vishnu in his current avatar as Srinivasa, she recovered. As the king heard of this news, Vakula announced herself to the king and asked for his daughter's hand in marriage to her son, Srinivasa. The overjoyed king agreed and his advisor Brihaspati wrote the invitation for the wedding between the two deities.
Srinivasa called for a conference of the gods to gain their consent for his marriage with Princess Padmavati. The deity also obtained a large loan from Kubera, the god of wealth, towards the expenses for the wedding as well as provide proof of his wealth.
About six months after this celestial wedding, Brahma and Shiva explained to Lakshmi regarding her consort's desire to be on the seven hills for the emancipation of mankind from the perpetual troubles of Kali Yuga. Lakshmi as well as her form of Padmavati also turn into stone idols expressing their wish to be with their deity always. Lakshmi stays with him on his chest on the left side while Padmavati rests on his chest's right side.
Rangadasa was a staunch devotee of Vishnu and in the course of his pilgrimage, joined Sage Vaikhanasa Gopinatha, who was going up the Tirumala Hill for the worship of the deity. This was after the deity had settled the Adivaraha region. After bathing in the Swami Pushkarini, Rangadasa viewed Vishnu beneath a tamarind tree. However Vishnu was exposed to the sun, wind and rain and was only protected by the extended wings of Garuda. Rangadasa raised a rough wall of stones around the deity, and started supplying flowers to Gopinatha every day for Vishnu's worship. One day, Rangadasa was distracted by a Gandharva king and his ladies and forgot to supply flowers to Gopinatha for Vishnu's worship. The deity then revealed Himself and told Rangadasa that he had not been steadfast and had succumbed to temptation. However, in acceptance of Rangadasa's devoted service to him till then, the deity blessed Rangadasa that he would be reborn as an affluent ruler of a province and would enjoy the earthly pleasures. He would continue to serve the deity, construct a beautiful temple with a vimana and high surrounding walls, and thereby earn eternal glory.
Soon the site was forgotten and an ant-hill formed over the temple. This is reputed to be the same ant-hill in which Srinivasa resided later after descending from Vaikuntha.
Rangadasa was reborn as Tondaman, the son of the royal couple, Suvira and Nandini. Tondaman enjoyed a pleasurable life as a young man. One day, he set out on a hunting expedition on the Tirumala Hill, and with the help of a cow-herd, saw Vishnu under the tamarind tree. Tondaman returned home, deeply affected by the vision of Vishnu. Tondaman later inherited his father's kingdom, Tondamandalam. In accordance with the directions given by Adivaraha to a forester, Tondaman constructed a prakaram (closed precincts of a temple) and dvara gopura, and arranged for regular worship of the deityas per Vaikhanasa Agama.
Venkateshvara appeared in the dream of Thondaman and asks him to build a temple for him where he turned into stone. So comes into being the temple for Venkateshvara on the seventh hill, named Venkatadri (Venkata Hill) at present day Tirumala-Tirupati.
Discovery of the Venkateshvara deity is described as an act of divine providence: There was a huge anthill at Tirupati, and one day a local farmer heard a voice from the heavens asking him to feed the ants. By chance the local king heard the voice and began supplying milk for the ants himself. His compassion resulted in the liquid uncovering the magnificent idol of Venkateshvara hidden within the anthill. [ citation needed ]
Sri Vaishnava tradition opines that the Rig Veda verse X.155.1 makes an indirect reference to the temple. [1] [2] One such translation goes as: [2]
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 Thondaimandalam(present day Kanchipuram and the surroundings), [3] is believed to have first built the temple after visualizing 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. To date, the various scripts are still seen inscribed upon the temple prakara walls. The Sangam literature such as that of Silapadikaram and Satanar Manimekalai, dated between 500BC and 300AD, mentions Thiruvengadam (now named Tirupati) by the appellation "Nediyon Kunram" as the northernmost frontier of the Tamil kingdoms. [4] In fact, a fairly detailed description of the deity is given in lines 41 to 51 of Book 11 of the Silapadikaram. [5] Again, the appellation "Nediyon" for the deity occurs in the following verses:
High on Vengadam's towering crest,
with flowing streams in flood,
Betwixt the effulgent glory,
of shining Sun and Moon,
Like unto a blue cloud
in lightning dresst
In all the brilliance
of rainbow light,
The Red-eyed great One,
majestic stands
In dress of flowery brilliance
with garland bright,
One lotus hand with
fearsome disc adorned,
and milk white conch
(the other held).
Puranic literature which was composed before the post-Mauryan and early-Gupta era also mentions Tirupati as the Aadhi Varaha Kshetra. The Puranas associate the site with Varaha, a Dashavatara of Vishnu. The Varaha shrine holds great importance in Tirupati and is said to be older than the main sanctum of Venkateshvara. There is also the Ranga Mandapam, which is to the left side of the temple as one enters.
Srivari Brahmotsavam is the most important annual festival celebrated at Sri Venkateshvara Temple. The event is conducted for nine days during Hindu Calendar month of Āśvina which falls in between the English months September and October. As per the legend it is believed that Brahma will descend to the earth to conduct this festival and hence the festival got the name Brahmotsavams, meaning an utsavam(festival) performed by Brahma. [6] Sri Venkateshvara Sahasranamastotra has references to Brahma performing the festival. To resemble this even now a small empty chariot will move ahead of the processions of the Venkateshvara's processional deity Malayappa. [6]
Varaha is an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, in the form of an Indian boar. Varaha is listed as third in the Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu.
Bhrigu is a rishi of Adi-rishi tradition. He is one of the seven great sages, the Saptarshis, and one of the many Prajapatis created by Brahma. The first compiler of predictive astrology and also the author of Bhrigu Samhita, an astrological (jyotisha) classic. Bhrigu is considered a manasaputra ("mind-born-son") of Brahma. The adjectival form of the name, Bhargava, is used to refer to the descendants and the school of Bhrigu. According to Manusmriti, Bhrigu was a compatriot of and lived during the time of Manu, the progenitor of humanity. Along with Manu, Bhrigu had made important contributions to the Manusmriti, which was constituted out of a sermon to a congregation of saints in the state of Brahmavarta, after the great floods in this area. As per the Skanda Purana, Bhrigu migrated to Bhrigukaccha, modern Bharuch, on the banks of the Narmada river in Gujarat, leaving his son Chyavana at Dhosi Hill.
Venkateswara, also known as Venkatachalapati, Balaji and Srinivasa, is a Form of Hindu Deity Vishnu. He is the presiding deity of Venkateshwara Temple, Tirupati. His consort, Padmavathi, is an avatar of Lakshmi.
The Shrivatsa is an ancient symbol, considered auspicious in Hinduism and other Indian religious traditions. It is said that the Shrivatsa symbol appears on the chest of an avatar of Vishnu when he is chosen to be Vishnu's incarnation
Lakshmi Narayana or Lakshmi Narayan is the dual representation of the Hindu deities Vishnu, also known as Narayana, and his consort, Lakshmi, traditionally featured in their abode, Vaikuntha. The goddess of prosperity and beauty, Lakshmi, is depicted as standing next to Vishnu, who holds the Panchajanya, Kaumodaki, Padma, and the Sudarshana Chakra. Another depiction of Lakshmi-Narayana portrays Lakshmi in the service of Narayana, who reclines on the cosmic serpent Shesha, floating in the Kshira Sagara, the Ocean of Milk.
Padmavati also known as Alamelu Manga is a Hindu goddess and the consort of the deity Venkateshvara, a form of Vishnu. She is described as a daughter of a local king and an avatar of goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu.
The Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hills of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared on the earth to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga. Hence the place is also known by the name Kaliyuga Vaikuntha and the deity here is referred to as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam. The temple is also known by other names like Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple and Tirupati Balaji Temple. Venkateswara is known by many other names: Balaji, Govinda, and Srinivasa. The temple is run by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which is under control of Andhra Pradesh Government. The head of TTD is appointed by Andhra Pradesh Government.
Vaikhanasa or Vaikhanasagama is a tradition of Hinduism that primarily worships Vishnu as the Supreme God. The tradition draws its name from the philosophy propounded by its founder, Sage Vikhanasa.
The Sarangapani Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, located in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the Divya Desams, the 108 temples of Vishnu revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham by the 12 poet saints, or Alvars. This temple is along Kaveri and is one of the Pancharanga Kshetrams.
Vaikuntha Ekadashi is a Hindu occasion and festival. It is primarily observed by Vaishnavas, who regard it to be a special ekadashi. It coincides with Mokshada Ekadashi or Putrada Ekadashi. It is observed on the 11th lunar day of the waxing lunar fortnight of the solar month of Dhanu. This falls between 16 December and 13 January in the Gregorian calendar.
Sri Venkateswara Mahatmyam is 1960 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film directed by P. Pullaiah and produced by V. Venkateswarlu. It is based on the Venkateswara avatar of Vishnu at Tirumala. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Savitri, and S. Varalakshmi with music composed by Pendyala Nageswara Rao. The film was dubbed into Tamil and released as Srinivasa Kalyanam.
Tirupavalavannam or Pavalavanam temple located in Kanchipuram in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Pavalavannar Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Pavalavalli.
Govinda Govinda is a 1994 Telugu-language supernatural heist film written and directed by Ram Gopal Varma. Produced by C. Aswani Dutt starring Nagarjuna, Sridevi, Master Anil Raj, Paresh Rawal, and Kota Srinivasa Rao. The soundtrack and background score are composed by Raj–Koti. It was released on 21 January 1994 to positive reviews, and attained a cult status over the years. The film was dubbed and released in Hindi as The Great Robbery.
Sapthagiri which is also called Tirumala Hill is situated in hill town of Tirumala, near Tirupati in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. This hill is 853 m above sea level and is about 10.33 square miles (27 km2) in area. It comprises seven peaks, representing the seven heads of Adisesha, thus earning the name Seshachalam. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabhadri, Narayanadri, and Venkatadri. The hill is famous for the famous and one of the most holy Hindu deity Venkateswara swamy temple. The temple is on Venkatadri, the seventh peak, and is also known as the "Temple of Seven Hills". The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Venkateswara, a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara is known by other names: Balaji, Govinda, and Srinivasa. The temple lies on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini, a holy water tank. The temple complex comprises a traditional temple building, with a number of modern queue and pilgrim lodging sites.
Sri Tirupati Venkateswara Kalyanam is a 1979 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film, based on Lord Venkateswara Avatar at Tirumala, produced and directed by N. T. Rama Rao under his Ramakrishna Cine Studios banner. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Jaya Prada, Jayasudha, Nandamuri Balakrishna and music composed by Pendyala Nageswara Rao.
Venkateswara Temple is a Vaishnavite temple situated in the town of Dwaraka Tirumala of Eluru district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, an incarnation of Vishnu. The temple is also known by other name like Chinna Tirupati meaning Small Tirupati.
The Sri Varahaswamy Temple, also called Bhu Varahaswamy Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Varaha, situated at hill town of Tirumala in Tirupati, located in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh state, India. The temple is situated on the northern premises of Venkateshvara Temple, Tirumala, on the north-west corner of Swami Pushkarini. This temple is believed to be older than the Venkateshvara shrine.
Adi moola Srinivasa Perumal Temple or Adi moola Venkataramanaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu located in a village called Mookanur, in the Dharmapuri district, Tamil Nadu, India. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, it is believed to have been built by the Pallava dynasty. It is considered one among the 108 Abhimana Kshethram of Vaishnavate tradition. The temple is Constructed in the foot hill of a mountain Dedicated entaierly to Vishnu. This structure was earlier maintained by Tenkalai Brahmins and now is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, follows the Vaikhanasa agama and is a pure Vaishnavate temple. There is no Ganesha shrine inside the temple complex. The divine-deity is the Kula-devata of many Brahmins and Gounder's in the Dharmapuri district.
The Pancha Kshetrams or Pancha Bhargavi Kshethram is a group of five sacred Hindu temples in India, dedicated to the deity Vishnu and Lakshmi With the legend associated to the Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala. All the temples are Divya desams except one which is an Abhimana Kshethram.
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