Tirupati Balaji Maharaj | जानिए मंदिर के रहस्य

Tirupati (Tirupati Balaji Maharaj)

The word Tirupati is a combination of two words:

Tiru which means sacred or honourable or goddess shree lakshmi.

Pati which means abode or husband or residence.

Tirupati (Tirumala) which referred to the Pushpa-mandapa in Acharya-Hridayam in the 13th century.

Mythology

According to the Varaha Purana, after returning from Lankapuri during the Treta Yuga period Rama, Sita and Lakshmana were lived here. According to the Purana, Balaji borrowed a loan of one crore and 11.4 million gold coins from Kubera for his marriage to Padmavathi. To repay the loan, devotees from all across India come to the temple and contribute money.

Ancient history

Pallava Kings constructed Tirupati beginning in the sixth century.During Ramanujacharya’s reign in the 11th century, the city became into a major Vaishnava hub from which Srivaishnavism spread across Andhra Desa. Srikurmam Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district features the inscription Tirupati Srivaishnavula Raksha. Tirupati escaped Muslim invasions by agreeing to pay Jizya to the Muslims. During the early 1300s Muslim invasion of South India, the idol from Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam was transferred to Tirupati for security. (Tirupati Balaji Maharaj)

For the majority of the mediaeval era, the temple town was part of the Vijayanagara Empire until the 17th century, and its kings, including Krishna Deva Raya and Achyuta Deva Raya, Sadasiva Raya, and Tirumala Deva Raya, provided significant resources and riches.

The city contains several old temples, notably the Venkateshvara Temple, which has 1,150 inscriptions in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada. Out of 1150 inscriptions, 236 belong to the Pallava, Chola, and Pandya kingdoms, 169 to the Saluva dynasty, 251 to the Achyuta Deva Raya period, 130 to the Sadasiva Raya period, and another 135 to the Aravidu dynasty.

Unsolved Believes

1. Mystical Hair of Lord Venkateswara: The idol of Lord Venkateswara is adorned with real hair, which is believed to never tangle. Devotees consider it a miraculous phenomenon and attribute it to the divine nature of the deity.
2. Self-manifested Idol: The idol of Lord Venkateswara is considered Swayambhu, meaning it is self-manifested and not man-made. This enhances the spiritual significance of the temple.
3. Perpetually Moist Back: Despite rigorous cleaning and the dry climate, the back of the Lord’s idol remains perpetually moist. This mystery is part of the temple’s many divine attributes.
4. Ever-burning Lamps: The lamps lit in front of the deity have been burning continuously since the time the temple was built. They are never extinguished, symbolizing eternal light and divinity.
5. Non-decomposing Flowers: The flowers offered to the deity do not wilt or decompose easily. They remain fresh for much longer than usual, adding to the temple’s mystical aura.
6. Invisible Abhishekam: During the abhishekam (ritual bath), a peculiar incident occurs where the Lord’s idol appears dry immediately after the ritual, despite being bathed in various liquids.
7. Sweat on the Idol: It is said that the idol sometimes displays droplets of sweat, even in the cool stone sanctum, suggesting that the deity is alive and present.
8. Limited Darshan Time: Each devotee gets only a few seconds to have darshan (view) of the Lord. Despite the brief period, many devotees report a profound spiritual experience during these moments.
9. Mystery of the Bangaru Vakili: The gold-plated door called Bangaru Vakili is always kept closed except during specific rituals. It is believed that beyond these doors, celestial beings perform services to the deity.
10. Musical Pillars: The temple has musical pillars that emit different musical notes when struck. These pillars are a testament to the architectural and acoustic brilliance of the temple’s construction.

Kings and kingdoms

These mostly describe the contributions of the Pallava Kingdom about the ninth century CE, the Chola Kingdom around the tenth century CE, and the Vijayanagara Empire around the fourteenth century CE. Tallapaka Annamacharya composed several Telugu hymns in celebration of the holy place in the 15th century. He described it as divine, with rocks, streams, trees, and animals, and added that it is heaven on Earth. One example of such a song is:

Kattedura Vaikuntamu Kaanachaina Konda
Thettalaya Mahimale Tirumala Konda ||
Vedamulae Silalai Velasinadi Konda
Yedesa Punya Rasule Yerulainadi Konda
Gadili Brahmadi Lokamula Konalu Konda
Sree Devudundeti Seshadri Konda ||

There was no human settlement in Lower Tirupati till 1500. With the expanding prominence of upper Tirupati, a village called “kotturu” emerged along the present-day Kapilatheertham Road. It was eventually moved to the area of the Govindarajaswamy Temple, which was dedicated in 1130 CE. Later, the community expanded into its current shape around the Govindaraja Swamy Temple, which serves as the city’s core. It has become very famous as a tourist destination.