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Tirupati Balaji
152 km of Chennai, Tirupati, the abode of the Hindu
god Venkateshvara or the Lord of Seven Hills, is the backbone of Andhra
Pradesh plgrimage and tourism industry. The world-renowned temple is
situated at Tirumala hill, 10 km from Tirupati, at an altitude of 750 m
above sea level. The strict rituals followed here are evident from the
fact that until late 19th century, non-Hindus were not permitted to
ascend the hill itself. The ancient shrine have blossomed with the
generous aids and contributions of the all the kings from great
dynasties of the southern peninsula including the Pallavas of
Kancheepuram, the Cholas of Thanjavur, the Pandyas of Madurai, and the
kings of Vijayanagar empire. However, the donations multiplied
astronomically during the rule of the Vijayanagar dynasty and the
legendary king Krishnadevaraya had statues of himself and his consorts
installed at the portals of the Tirupati temple.
Raghoji Bhonsle, the Maratha general, visited the temple and said to be
the first person to set up a permanent donation for the conduct of
worship in the temple along with offerings of valuable jewels and a
large emerald to the Lord. The emerald is preserved carefully in a box
named after the General to this Day. The rulers of Mysore and Gadwal
have also been amongst the biggest contributors to the temple. Lord
Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala is popularly known as the temple of
Tirupati Balaji. The other noteworthy temples at Tirupati are Padmavati
Temple dedicated to Goddess Padmavati, the consort of Lord Venkateswara.
A visit to this temple also known as 'Alamelumangapuram' is customary to
complete the pilgrimage to the Tirumala temple. Govindaraja Swami Temple
was consecrated by Saint Ramanujacharya in 1130 and is one of the most
important temples of the city. The 10th century Kodandaramaswami Temple
dedicated to Sita, Rama and Lakshmana was built by a Chola ruler. Sri
Kapileswaraswami Temple is only temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in
Tirupati. Sri Kalyana Venkateswaraswami Temple at Srinivasa Mangapuram
is believed to be the place where Lord Venkateswara stayed here after
his marriage with Sri Padmavati Devi before returning to his abode at
Tirumala.
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