Sri Venkateshwara Temple

Sri Venkateshwara Temple

Tirupati is one of the most ancient and sacred pilgrimage spots in India. The name ‘Tirupati’ means the “Lord of Lakshmi”. The temple town is situated about 67km away from Chittoor in the south of Andhra Pradesh. Lord Venkateswara or Balaji is the presiding deity of this legendary temple. He is considered to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu himself. The seven hills surrounding Tirumala-Tirupati are also known as Sapthagiri after the seven hoods of the cosmic serpent – Sheshnag. The temple of Sri Venkateswara is located on the seventh peak, Venkatadri. Pilgrims are said to derive great benefits from taking a holy dip at Tirumala and getting the darshan of the beautiful bejewelled idol of Sri Venkateshwara. Thousands of devotees throng this holy temple every day and worship the powerful deity to get their prayers answered. The temple is the world's richest in terms of the wealth of offerings and gifts given by visiting pilgrims. Its vibrant cultural and philanthropic institutions attract the largesse of pilgrims from all over the country who wait for hours in serpentine queues to get a moment’s glimpse of the presiding deity. The temple has a rich history spanning several centuries. For ages, Hindu monarchs in South India donated invaluable ornaments and precious jewels. The mighty Vijayanagar emperor Krishnadevarayalu was an ardent worshiper and renovated the temple, gifting many invaluable ornaments to the temple lord. About 20,000 employees serve the temple and the visiting pilgrims with dedication. Figures estimate that on an average, around 60,000 piligrims visit the temple every day; the highest in the world followed by Vatican, and on special occasions the number goes up to 200,000 per day.