Jump to content

Tirupati

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 122.169.133.24 (talk) at 11:47, 28 August 2007 (→‎References). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the town of Tirumala-Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, India. For the article about the famous Hindu temple in it, see Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. For the butterflies named Thirumalai, see Tirumala (genus).

Tirupati
Tirupathi
major city
Government
 • MLAVenkata Ramana
Population
 (2006)
 • Total408,899

Tirupathi is a temple town in Chittoor District in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located at the foot hills of Tirumalai.

The town owes its existence to the sacred temple situated on the Tirumala Hills. Tirumala is the abode of Lord Venkateshwara, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu, located atop Seshachala hills often called as "Yaelu Malai" or "Yaedu Kondalu" (seven hills). The temple of Lord Venkateshwara is the richest Hindu temple and the second most visited religious center in the world following the Vatican. The town is also home to Sri Venkateswara University, one of the three major universities in Andhra Pradesh. Although, Tirupati has been a city for many years, the Andhra Pradesh state government had not recognized it officially until recently. Effective from March 2, 2007, the city is a municipal corporation not a municipality.

Etymology

Garuda Azhwar Statue on the way to Tirumala

The word Thirupathi means the Lord of Lakshmi and the word Tirumalai means Mountain of highness in Tamil.Thirumalai is called as Thirumala in Telugu. Thirumagal means Lakshmi, Pathi means husband or king, and Malai means hill. Within Vaishnava tradition the temple is considered as one of the 108 most sacred temples throughout India, collectively known as 'Tirupathis'.Since Thirumalai and Thirupathi have passed away from the possession of Tamil people to Telugu people [citation needed] ,Thirumalai is mentioned as Tirumala officially.

History

The Sangam literature of Tamil such as Silapadikaram and Satanar's Manimekalai, dated between 500 B.C to 300 A.D, mentions Thiruvengadam (now named Tirupati) as the northernmost frontier of the Tamil Kingdoms.

It is believed that it was "Aadhi Varaha Kshetra" (the ancient site of Varaha) mentioned in Indian literature dating during the Mauryan and Gupta regimes. The identity of the deity was disputed until Ramanuja, the famous Vaishnava scholar of the 12th century, confirmed it to be of Vishnu. Before this it was considered Buddha Idol

Front View of Tirumala Temple

The site was an established center by the 5th century A.D, and the Alvars (Vaishnava saints) belonging to the Bhakti movement in Dravidian land sung in praise of Venketeswara. Its significance in Southern Vaishnavite tradition was at the time next only to Srirangam. The temple was richly endowed by the kings of various dynasties thus adding to its current reputation as the richest and most opulent temple in the world. It was supported by Cholas, later by Hoysalas, the Vijayanagaras. Krishna Deva Raya of Vijayanagara led the temple to great popularity by donating gold and other ornaments for the temple and constructing extended shrines. The place of Chandragiri, presently a village near Tirupati, was used as the secondary capital of Vijayanagara kings.

Tirupati survived the Muslim invasions of South India, unlike other temples such as the Meenakshi temple in Madurai and Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam. It is believed that during the invasions the deity of Sriranganatha from Srirangam was brought to Tirupati for safekeeping. To commemorate this event, a hall in Tirupati is still known as the Ranganatha mandapa.

In 1843, with the coming of the East India Company, the administration of the Shri Venkateshwara temple and a number of shrines was entrusted to Seva Dossji of the Hathiramji Mutt at Tirumala as Vicaranakarta for nearly a century until 1933, when the temple was under the administrative charge of the mahants. The Madras legislature passed a special act in 1933 whereby the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) committee was invested with powers of administration and control through a commissioner appointed by the Government of Madras. A Ryot Advisory Council was formed for the management of the estates of the TTD, and was assisted by a Religious Advisory Council with regard to religious matters.

Geography

Tirupati is located in southern part of Andhra Pradesh.[1] It has an average elevation of 162 metres (531 feet).

Tirumala

The Tirumala Hill is 3200 ft above sea level, and is about 10.33 sq miles in area. It comprises seven peaks, representing the seven hoods of Adisesha, thus earning the name, Seshachalam. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrishabhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri.

Climate

In summer temperatures may go up to 42 to 45 degrees Celsius (107.6 F to 113 F),and in winter the minimum temperatures will be between 10 and 18 degrees Celsius ( 50 F to 64.4 F). Usually summer lasts from March to June. With the advent of rainy season in July, followed by winter which lasts till the end of February.

Economy

Tirumala temple lit in the night

The town mainly relies on the income generated by the Tirumala temple. On an average, 1 Lakh (100,000) pilgrims reach Tirumala every day through Tirupati and thus there are hundreds of restaurants, hotels, travel operators have been established in the region. The temple "devasthanam" (the caretakers of the temple) also spend millions every year, in various developmental activities in the region.

Government

Tirupati was a municipal corporation, recently (in 2007) converted to corporation in Andhra Pradesh state. It contributes a member in Central Parliament and a member in state legislature in Indian politics.

Transport

See Tirupati - Travel and Stay for more details

Tirupati is well connected with all three major cities Hyderabad (555km), Chennai (140 km) and Bangalore (280 km) in South India by air, road or rail. The distance between Tirumla and Tirupathi down hills is 22 kms. From the foothills, the Pilgrims are provided the shuttle buses by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (T.T.D) and Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Service (A.P.S.R.T.C) [1] with as frequent as one bus in every 1-2 minutes throughout the day. The bus journey to Tirumala is approximately 45 minutes. It is also very common practice among the devotees to walk from Tirupati to Tirumala. The walk takes around four hours on a well-laid out foot path.

Darshan booking

The TTD has changed the "Sudarshan Booking" counters from Tirumala to Tirupati.If you have not booked the tickets(Rs.50/-paid or Free)for Darshan from your City outside Tirupati, Now the Sudarshan Tickets can only be booked from Tirupati near Railway station, bus stand also at Srinivasa Complex.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,Template:GR Tirupati had a population of 227,657. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Tirupati has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 69%. In Tirupati, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. The local language is telugu but the city of Tirupati has a significant Tamil speaking population, as the District of Chittoor has a good Tamil presence.

Culture

The people of Tirupathi speak mostly Telugu though Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and English are understood. The residents and visitors can be seen in both traditional attire like Dhoti, Lungi and Saree and modern attire. Practices of Tonsure and using Tilak are commonly seen. Songs and prayers of Lord Venkateswara like Annamacharya kirtanas can be heard all over the town.

Festivals

Elephants Welcoming Lord Srinivasa

The town celebrates most Vaishnava festivals including Vaikunta Ekadasi, Rama Navami and janmashtami with great splendor, while the Brahmotsavam celebrated every year during September is the most important festivals in Tirumala, when it receives millions of devotees over a short span of a week. Rathasapthami (Magha Shuddha Saptami) is another festival, celebrated during February, when Lord Venkateswara idol will be taken procession around the temple chariots.[2]

Another local festival Gangamma Jathara is also celebrated as a major festival. The Goddess Gangamma is offered animal sacrifices and also pongal and other offerings by the devotees. She is considered as the sister of The Lord Almighty,Govinda.

Religious Attractions

KodhandaRamaSwamy Temple at Tirupathi

There are many temples in Tirupati and Tirumala. Some of them are:

  • Alamelu - Alamelu Mangamma Shrine
  • Padmavati Temple
  • Govindaraja Swamy Temple
  • Kodanda Rama Swamy Temple: The Temple is so beautiful in architecture. Lord Rama, Seetha and Lakshmana were present in a beautiful form in the temple. Lord AnjaneyaSwamy was seen near the foot of Lord Rama. The Temple is in the heart of the city. There is also another temple dedicated to Lord Anjaneya Swamy opposite to KodhandaRamaSwamy Temple. Prasadams were offered daily to pilgrims.
Kapila Theertham Temple Entrance at Tirupathi
  • Srinivasa Mangapuram
  • Kapila Theertham (Lord siva shrine, the only Shaiva Shrine in Tirupati): This Temple is Dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati. There is a beautiful waterfall near the Temple.
  • ISKCON Lord Krishna Temple - The Temple is recently renewed and has its own style of architecture. The tower is coloured in Gold and White. The inside decorations are extremely attractive. The carvings of Lord NarasimhaSwamy, Lord VarahaSwamy and Krishna Leela were marvellous. Glass painting works on the windows depicting Lord Krishna's playful act and the ceilings decorated like Tanjore Art reveals the colourful masterpiece in art work. Each pillar is decorated with Ten Avatars of Lord Vishnu. The temple inside sanctom has Lord Krishna with Gopis beautifully dressed. Prabhupada's idol was also kept in the Temple. There is a beautiful park surrounded with lot of flowers, ponds, fountains and with Krishna Leela idols. "GOSALA" is also maintained. The Temple is on the way to Tirumala Hills.
  • Avanakshamma Temple-42 kms from Tirupathi,
  • Sri Venugopalaswamy Temple,Karvetinagaram,40 Kms from Tirupathi
  • Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy Temple-Narayanavanam,48 kms from Tirupathi
  • Sri Prasanna Venkateswara Swamy Temple-Appalayagunta,20 Kms from Tirupathi

There is also another small temple for Lord Vishnu. The place is on the foothills of Tirumala. Giant Nandhekeshwar Statue is seen at the entrance of the Temple.

Hospitals

SVRR government general hospital(known as Ruiya hospital) with attached SV medical college is one of the known hospitals besides SVIMS, a Super Specialities Center with modern facilities and S.V.Ayurveda college hospital run by TTD to providing health services to the poor and needy patients even at free of cost[citation needed], BIRRDS an orthopedic center catering for physically handicapped. Numerous small- to mid-sized hospitals exist in private sector. SVRR government hospital has minimal infrastructure and lacks an institution policy.

Education

Tirupati is not only a piligrimage center but an educational hub. It is home to Several universities, including Sri Venkateswara University and Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam ( one among two women universities in India), Sanskrit Vidhyapeeth,S.V.Ayurvedic medical College(is having40 BAMS seats of input capacity planning tostart PG in RS,DG,Pancha Karma and Shalya), Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University (New) etc. Apart from these universities, it has state government sponsored medical, agricultural colleges and also an engineering college. Around 5 Engineering Colleges exist in and around Tirupathi. It has nearly 50 UG & PG (MBA, MCA) Degree colleges.

Also present is a state-of-art Dental college and Research Center(C K S Teja Instituite of Dental Sciences and Research), providing free dental health care to the people of tirupati and surrounding villages.. This instituite also provides PG programm in 6 different dental brances.

Media

The main Telugu news papers like Eenadu, Vaartha and Andhra Jyothi are major sources of daily news. The popular TV Channels are state wide telugu cable channels ETV, Maa TV Gemini TV and Teja TV and local city cable.

Sports

Cricket is most watched and played sport. Tennis, volleyball and badminton are also played in colleges.

See also

The novel ?Tirumalai Thirudan? (Thief of Tirumala) authored by DHIVAKAR was based on a thousand year old incident at Tirumala where Sri Ramanuja had successfully settled a conflict whether ?Thiruvenkatavan? (Lord Balaji) belong to Srivaishnavite sect or Saivite sect. And there was also an incident at that time that Lord?s Sanku & Chakra was stolen by some Chola Raja.


http://www.apmlas.com *www.apmlas.com

Template:Hindu Holy Cities in India

  1. ^ "Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Tirupati". fallinggrain.com. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
  2. ^ "Rathasapthami photos".
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tirupati&oldid=154152494"