This is the name by which the goddess Lakshmi, carved on the right side of the chest of Sri Venkatesvara, as seated on a lotus, is known2. Aktrmehnangai enjoys all worship offered to Sri Venkatesvara along with Him. Inscriptions show that provision was also made for the offering of special…
The Puranas state unequivocally that the image of Sri Venka- tesvara is self-manifest and not prepared by any mortal. It is said to have lain in an anthill under a tamarind tree on the bank of the Svamipushkarini on Tirumala. We are also told that the image is of Vishnu…
The Vamanapurana mentions a story according to which Brahma set up an image of this god on the bank of the Svamipushkarini. In course of time the temple was destroyed. Subsequently, a Nishada started cultivating the syamalca crop in the neighbourhood. He used to give part of it to a…
It is very difficult to determine the date of this temple. There is no direct evidence to help us in this con- nection and any attempt must therefore be based upon inference. Inscriptions found in the temple only refer to its renovation and rebuilding and the addition of later structures…
The main shrine which contains the image of Sri Venkateswara is a complex of structures. It starts with the Garbhagriha at the western end and ends with the Tirumamani- mantapa at the eastern end. Part of this area, ending with the northern and southern wings of the Mukkoti-pradakshinam inside, is enclosed by a…
The shrine of Natasha is in the north east corner of the courtyard built-in a pillared verandah touching the eastern wall of the prakara. There are five pillars on each side and two in the front of this shrine. The pillars on the sides are plain but those in the…
In the southern part of the courtyard is the Kalyana-mantapa, 80 feet X 36 feet. It is reached by a short flight of steps in the east. There are two rows of nine pillars each in the north and one row of nine pillars in the south. The pillars in…
Immediately to the left of the gopura entrance there is a small shrine dedicated to Varadaraja. It con- sists of a high adhistana, an Antarala a Garbhagriha and a Vimana above, belonging to the vesara order. The walls of the Garbha- griha of this shrine are decorated with four pilasters,…
The inner or second enclosure has to be reached through an only entrance, guarded by the second gopura. The base of this gopura seems to have existed by the beginning of the 13th century. This enclosure is known as the Vimana-pradak- shinam.
This story is found in the Bhavishyottara purana and runs follows:- Once Lakshmi converted Brahma into a cow and Siva into a calf and sold hem to the Chola king. The cow which used to wander
This story is found in the Bhavishyottara-purana and runs as follows ;- once Srinivasa put on a fine dress and started for hunt. He. chased an elephant and wandered a long distance and ultimately entered a garden. A beautiful young maiden and her companions, who were plucking Bowers, ran away on…
Very soon after the marriage Akasaraja died and his brother, I Tondaman, and son Vasudeva, fought for the throne. Srinivasa interfered at the instance of Padmavati and divided the kingdom between the two disputants. Tondaman got the Tondamandalam ‘ part and Vasudeva obtained the Narayanavanam part of the kingdom. This…
Passing through the entrance of this gopura, one enters the outer courtyard of the temple. Immediately adjacent to and touching the gopura is a small mantapa with two wings, one on each side, and a path-way in the centre. Each wing has two rows of four pillars each. The pillars…
The celebrated temple of Sri Venkatesvara stands on a hill named Venkatadri which looks like a depression surrounded by high hills on all sides. The entire temple is surrounded by a prakara built of large blocks of stone riveted into each other. The walls are 414 feet East-West and 263…
To the west of the Ranga-mantapa is another mantapa known as the Anna-unjal-mantapa and Tirumalarayamantapa. This is in two parts, the front part being at a lower level and the back part The following is a brief description of the important temples and shrines situated on the Tirumala hill.
In the south-east comer of the courtyard is a big mantapa, popularly known as the Ranga-mantapa. There is small portico before it. This portico contains two rows of four pillars each. The outer pillars have three pillaret projecting and the inner ones have the animal bracket. The mantapa proper contains…
There is a narrow mantapa in the western part of the courtyard touching the second or inner gopura. It has on the north and south two rows of five pillars each, those in the inner row having one pillaret projecting. In the Centre of the mantapa are the Dhvajastambha and…
In the northern part of the courtyard is another structure known as the Aina-mahal. This is in two parts, an open mantapa in the front containing six rows of six pillars each and a shrine behind it, consisting of an Antarala and a Garbhagriha.
This story is found in the Brahmanda-purana and runs ;is follows:- Once there was a Vaikhanasa brahman, named Gopinatha, in the Chola country. He was a great devotee of Krishna. He requested the Lord to grant him salvation. Krishna asked him to go to Seshadri and worship Srinivasa there and…
This story is found in the Brahmandapurana and runs as f0llows:- In the Kali age there was a Chola King. One day, he went out for hunt and wandered about killing many animals near the Seshachala. Halting at a place for a little rest, he found a handsome young woman…
()nce, in the Krita-yuga, there was a king named Sankha in the solar race. He desired to do some thing which would last eternally and consulted his guru, Vasistha. Vasistha advised him to go to venkatadri and pray to the Lord. The king came to the hill and did penance The…
The Puranas associate the names of several kings with the worship of Vishnu on Seshachala and the building of an abode for him
There are two stories which explain the reason for Srinivasa’s presence on this hill. Once, Vishnu wanted to have a change from his usual abode in Vaikuntha . He asked Narada to suggest a place on this earth which would be suitable for diversion and sport. Narada suggested the neighbourhood o f the place where…
There are numerous collections o f legends and stories about Tirumala and its god, Sri Venkatesvara or Srinivas. These are to be found in many o f the Puranas. A ll these have been collected and edited in a book, entitled the Venkatachalamahatmyam. Aninscription from Tirumala mentions aenkatachalamahatmyam read in the temple before the…
The temple o f Tirumala received liberal patronage during the |ni ii id of the rule o f this dynasty. Two famous rulers o f this family. Krishnadevaraya and his brother, Achyutadevaraya, were ardent devotees o f Sri Venkatesvara and gave him many valuable presents. Krishnaraya visited the temple on 10th ebraury, 1513…
A sandhi was instituted in the name of Saluva Narasimha in return for the gift of the Svamadaya tax from a village (II-4). I’division was made by a donor in 1461 A.D. for burning a lamp on i m i y Saturday (11-10. Mention is made in a record of…
Bukka I is the first ruler of this dynasty that figures in the inscriptions from Tirumala. He gifted two villages for two offerings to be made to the god. (I-178) Mahamandalesvara Mangideva, a prominent feudatory, set up a golden kalasa on the sikhara of the vimana of the temple in…
The establishment of the Vijayanagara empire in 1336 A. D. w. is a I uming point in the religious and cultural history of south India. I In- temples and gods of this region passed through critical days during the first three decades of the fourteenth century on account of frequent Muslim invasions….
The Chieftains of this family, who governed part of Tondamandalam first as Chola subordinates, then as Pandya feudatories and subsequently as independent rulers, were ardent i li vt dees and patrons of Sri Venkatesvara. Vira Narasingadeva is the earliest member ofthis family to be connected with the temple of Tirumala. This…
There are some records in the Tirumala temple which belong to the reign of Sundara Pandya (1-44 to 56). They do not contain any interesting information. Some of the local chieftains of this region who were subjugated by him, like the Telugu Pallavas, Telugu Cholas and Yadavarayas also figure in…
This change of control created great confusion in eastern Carnatic. Many people fled to the English settlement for safety. The Subedars of the Deccan exercised power over this region. Several Mughal and Maratha armies ravaged this area. The Mughal emperor, Shah Alam I, constituted the Carnatic into a separate Nawabi…
The Vijayanagara emperor, Venkata II, granted to the English East India Company a small site on the east coast in 1640 A.D. on which was built the Fort St. George. Further south, the French established a settlement at Pondicherry and the nationals of these two European states rapidly increased their…
The Tirumala-Tirupati region came to be conquered by the sultans of Golconda by about the middle of the 17the century and i i nlained under Muslim rule for about a century and half. This was a period of confusion, chaos and disorder and there was practically in i government worth…
Aliya Ramaraya, who usurped the throne of Vijayanagara i r.img Sadasiva into prison, played high politics with the contemporary Sultans of the Deccan and exasperated them with his .a lop.nnce and illtreatment. The Sultans combined their armies and m\ adcd the Vijayanagara empire. Ramaraya opposed them between two villages, named…
The temple of Sri Venkatesvara reached the acme of its glory in the region of the illustrious emperor, Krishnadevaraya of the Tuluva of third dynasty of Vijayanagara (1509-1529). Sri Venkatesvara was the patron deity of this monarch. On every important occasion the Raya visited Tirumala and obtained the blessings of…
Saluva Narasimha set his master aside and usurped the throne of Vijayanagara. As the sovereign he installed an image of god Lakshminarasimha by the side of the pathway leading up the hill. (11-82)
Tondamandalam was included in the kingdom of Vijayanagara from the time of its foundation and continued as part of it till the time of its fall The period of the rule of the Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva and \ Aravidu dynasties of Vijayanagara constitutes the most brilliant epoch in i lie…
Tondamandalam was included in the Vijayanagara empire from the very time of its foundation in 1336 A.D. Still, the earliest Vijayanagara record found in the Tirumala-Tirupati region is dated 1359 A.D. The period intervening between the time of Sundara Pandya and this Vijayanagara record is a period of transition. During…
The power of the Cholas declined about the middle of the thirteenth century and the Pandyas, under Maravarman Sundara I, became aggressive. This king invaded Tondamandalam, subjugated all the Chola subordinates in this region and reached as far north as Nellore and performed Virabhiseka there. There are several records of…
Tondamandalam became part of the Chola empire after its conquest by Aditya I and remained so till about the middle of the thirteenth century. The earliest record available here is that of Parantaka I (I-12) (907-955) dated in the 29the year of this reign. His son, Parthivendravarman alias Aditya n,…
The age of the Pallavas constitutes the first important landmark in the history of Tondamandalam and the Tirumala-Tirupati region wl lich was included in it. These Pallavas were originally the inhabitants of the south-eastern part of the Satav ahana empire, bordering upon Tondamandalam. The founder and first ruler of this…
The Tirumala-Tirupati region is situated in what was familiarly known as Tondamandalam for a long time and as the Carnatic in later times. The early history of this region is lost in obscurity and only a few glimpses can be obtained. Tamilaham or the Tamil country stretched over a wide…
The Eastern Ghats run close to the coast up to the river Krishna ai id then take an inward bend. They then break off into three ranges, one running along the coast up to Ponneri, another running into the Kumool and Anantapur districts and the third or central range starting…
TIRU MALA and Tirupati are places well known all over India. Si venkatesvara, presiding deity of Tirumala or Vengadam, is revered by lakhs of people all over the country who visit His famous temple throughtout the year, travelling long distances. The chief centres of pilgrimage in this region are Sri…