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…
The Bhagavad Gita (Song of the Lord) is one of the most loved scriptures of India. It is pan-Indian, even though its central character, Arjuna, discovered that the driver of his war chariot, Krishna, was the supreme lord of the universe, Lord Vishnu. If this claim were taken literally and…
Bali was present at so many times and places that the mythmakers had to employ one of their greatest discoveries, the various periods of the Manus (manvantaras), a repeating of the cosmic ages each with its own “first man” (Manu). Thus the stories of Bali and his deva (god) opponents…
This myth is nested within the great myth cycles of Lord Vishnu and Shri Krishna. Bala-Rama was involved in many episodes as an adoring, supportive older brother of Krishna. It was a role deserving of a divine lineage, demonstrating the kind of person who deserved to be near so great…
Baa lived in Atala (one of the seven hells), teaching ninety-six kinds of magic to trouble the devas (divinities). Out of one of his own yawns, he created three women with the power to entice whomever they wanted. These three women had an aphrodisiac called hataka. They gave hataka…
Once, the deities went to sage Kashyapa after being tormented by the demons. They complained to him about the misdeeds of the demons, who also happened to be their step brothers. Sage Kashyapa became extremely furious, when he heard about the misdeeds of his sons – the demons. To protect…
()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…
Ayodhya was the capital city of the kings of Ikshvaku. But it then became one of the seven most sacred cities in India because it was the birthplace of King Rama. Ayodhya was also where Rama ruled as king after he defeated Ravana. Ram Navami is the festival that…
The term avatara is usually associated with divine incarnations, especially the ten incarnations of Vishnu. But there were lists with as many as twenty-six incarnations. The ten avatars, dashavatara (dasha, “ten,” and avatara, “incarnations”), were Matsya the fish, Kurma the turtle, Varaha the boar, Narasimha the lion-man, Vamana the brahmacari…
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…
The earth consists of seven islands, many rivers, mountains and seven oceans. The Plaksha, Shalmali, Kush, Kraunch, Shak and Pushkar. Lord Shiva alongwith goddess Ambika and his ganas dwell in all these seven islands in one form or the other. The name of the seven oceans are Ksharod, Rasod, Surod,…
The almighty Shiva manifested in the form of Sthanu (Pillar) from his imperceptible form and looked at Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma then commenced his creation and established the norms of Varna ashrama. He also created ‘Soma’ which is required for the performance of ‘Yagya’. This world, including all the deities…
Satya and Dasra were popularly called the Asvins (possessors of horses) and were the physicians of the devas (gods). Their father was the sun, Surya. They were proud warriors who drove their chariot across the sky, paired as driver and fighter. They were associated with the goddess of the…
Bhisma enquired Sage Pulastya about the mighty King Prithu upon whom the earth was named as Prithvi. Sage Pulastya replied—Anga-Prajapati was the descendant of Swayambhuva Manu and Sunitha was his wife. In course of time, Sunitha gave birth to a son, who was named Vena. After growing up, Vena turned…
See TAPAS. See also discussions in chapter 1 of “The Upanishadic Period,” “Theomachy,” and “Renunciation, Sacrifice, and Magic.”
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…
The creator of the world, Brahma had a son named Atri. Chandrama was the son of Atri. Once Chandrama organised a Rajsuya Yagya and received great powers. Afterwards blinded by his powers, Chandrama kidnapped Tara, the wife of Brihaspati. Even his grandfather Brahma tried to dissuade him from committing such…
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…
Sage Vishwamitra arrived at the spot where the child had manifested. On the repeated insistence of the child, Vishwamitra performed his purification rites and named him ‘Guha’. The divine child blessed Vishwamitra and bestowed divine knowledge to him. He also blessed him to become famous as ‘Brahmarshi’. Agnideva arrived there…
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…
WORSHIPPING THE IDOL OF SHIVA It has been mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of Viddyeshwar Samhita that all the desires of a man are completely fulfilled, if he worship even in earthen idol of Shiva. For making an idol of Shiva, clay should be acquired from the base of river,…
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…
“I asked him as to who he was. Vishnu replied that he was the fulfiller of all of his desires. But I replied to him that I only was the creator, nurturer and the supreme soul of this world. Vishnu became angry and said that undoubtedly I (Brahma) was the…
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…
During the time when ocean was being churned first of all poison appeared from it. The deities were very terrified to see the tremendous heat it generated. They went to lord Shiva and requested to protect them from the heat of that poison. Lord Shiva drank all the poison but…
The prince Dhruva greeted the sages and continued on his journey. At last, he reached a beautiful forest Madhuvan on the bank of the river Yamuna. It was the same forest, which was later occupied by a demon Madhu. Shatrughana, the youngest brother of Lord Rama had killed the demon…
This mountain is in the western that, and it is above 4000 height. It is towards the east of the temple To reach the mountains. Peak, one has to cross 18k.m. distance. This is a worth seeing place, one will enjoy the real beauty. This is possible, who are having…
This is just two miles, away from the temple, cattle fair is very famous. We cannot see such a big fair anywhere in the district. This fair runs for a period of 15 days, i.e, from karthika should pournami to karthika bahula Amavasya. cattle from different places gather here, and they sell to malbar farmers.
This is also called Panchami teertha. This is just a mile away from the temple on the way to kumardhara. On the 15th day of margarine H.H Sri Varahteerth of Sri. Subrahmanyam matt passed away and was entombed by the side of this river. So it is the custom of…
It is one and half mile away from the temple. Ttis is very deep and we can find number of fishes. Hence it is being called matsyateertha. This is the place where the Avabratha of sri subrahmanya swami takes, the devotees do not fall to take bath here.
Formerly this was called Maheenadi and then Dara. This a Speciality of its own. The water of this river was used for anointing kumaraswamy, then it is called kumaradhara. Once if a man who is affected by skin disease is taken bath here, soon that will wash away. It is having a…
It is very near to the main temple. This is a most sacted place. This is on the way to kumardhara. Vasuki hid here and prayed to Garuda. There are two ways to the cave, viz, one from the south and the other from north. The tunnel that goes to…