Tirumala / Tirupati (Venkateswara Temple)

Sthala Purāṇam

Thiruvenkatam, the temple of Lord Venkateswara atop the Seshachalam (Venkatadri) hills at Tirumala, is the most visited of all Divya Desams. The self-manifest (swayambhu) Moolavar, Thiruvenkadamudayan, stands here as Srinivasa, also called Balaji and Govinda, with his consort Alarmel Mangai (Padmavati). The name Venkatam is traditionally explained as ven (sins) and katam (burning), the hill that destroys the sins of those who reach it. The sthala puranam recounts the Bhrigu episode, in which the sage kicked Vishnu's chest, prompting Mahalakshmi, dwelling there as Sri, to depart in displeasure to the earth; Vishnu followed her as Srinivasa and took residence on the Venkata hill. There he sought the hand of Padmavati, daughter of the local king Akasha Raja, and to fund the wedding he borrowed wealth from Kubera, a debt the Lord is said still to be repaying, which is why devotees offer riches into his hundi. The seven hills are likened to the seven hoods of Adisesha, and the hill itself is held to resemble Garuda. The principal tirtham is the Swami Pushkarini, with the Akasha Ganga, Papavinasanam, and Kumaradhara among other sacred waters, and the gold-plated sanctum tower is the Ananda Nilaya Vimanam. Worship follows the Vaikhanasa Agama. Among the Divya Desams it is uniquely glorified by the Mudhal Alvars (Poigai, Bhutham, Pey), Nammalvar, Thirumangai Alvar, Periyalvar, and others, who declared that in Kali Yuga liberation is attained by worshipping Venkata Nayaka.

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📍 13.68092, 79.35060

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