Thirumala Thirupathi!

Tirumala is located near the holy city of Tirupati in Chittoor District in Andhra Pradesh state, southern India, between 13 ° and 14 ° north latitude and 17 ° east longitude

Tirumala - The Seven Sacred Hills :

The picturesque Tirumala hills are situated 2820 m above MSL and are about 100sq.mi area. It comprises seven peaks, representing the seven hoods Audisesha and thereby obtain the name Seshachalam.

The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Vedadri, Garudadri, Anjandri, Vrishabhadri, Narayandri and Venkatadri (Adri in sanskrit means Hill). The Venkatam Hill is believed to be a part of the heavenly Mount Meru, brought to earth from Vaikuntam of Garuda. sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara is located on the seventh peak, Venkatdri and there are several legends associated with the manifestation of the Lord in Tirumala. Temple of the Lord is very old, and there are plenty of references to it in the early inscriptions belonging to the Chola and Pallava periods as well as in the Sangam literature.

The whereabouts of the Lord is about 10 km north-west of Tirupati and there are footprints leading to the hill and two separate Serpentine roads to reach the shrine. According to legend, God Vishnu revealed himself earlier in previous incarnations as Varahaswamy on the banks of the present temple tank .. This manifestation of the white boar (Sveta Varaham) is anchored in Adi Varahaswany temple is located on the northeast coast of the tank.

History of Tirumala :

The Pallava of Kanchipuram (9th century AD), Chola of Tanjore (10th century), Pandya and Vijayanagara of Mathura Pradhan (14th and 15th centuries) were committed followers of Lord Venkateswara. Statues of Sri Krishna Devaraya and his wife stand in the temple premises. After the decline of Vijayanagara Empire, kings from various states like the king of Mysore and Gadwall, worship the Lord as pilgrims and gifted various ornaments and valuables to the temple. Raghoji Bhonsle, the Maharastrian commander visited the temple and made a permanent arrangement for regular Puja done unto the Lord.

In 1843 the temple gave administrative authority Venkateswara Temple along with temples in the village to the head of Hatthimji monastery in Tirumala. Till 1933 the administration of the temple had been exercised by the head of this monastery, Hathiram Mahantha.

In 1933 Madras government appointed a commission Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam through a special statutory authority to run the administration of the temple. In 1951 another Hindu Religious and endowment law was felicitated by the appointment of a director and board, and they run the administration. The executive officers of that institution in the South has been to maintain service.

Epic Importance of Tirumala Hills

The venkatam Hill is believed to be a part of the heavenly Mount Meru brought to earth from vaikuntam by Garuda (Lord's vehicle), says the puranas.The Hills said to be a manifestation of Adi Sesha (the cosmic serpent). The Seven Hills of Tirumala is said to represent the seven hoods Adi Sesha.

Many Alvar, Vaishnavacharyas and Saints have praised the Tirumala Hill with great devotion. Tirumala Mambi, a descendent of the great ascetic Narada, spent his entire life to serve the Lord.

References to the Tirumala also found in several of the Purana. Tirumala is one of the 108 sacred shrines in Sri Vaishanava tradition.According to Purana, Lord Vishnu was on earth for a while in the Avatar of Swetha Varaham and grew out of pushkarini as Swayambhuva. His spouse Lakshmi Devi appeared in Thirucharnur. This Swwtha Varaha Avatharam was installed in the temple, which lies west of Swamy Push Karni. The great religious leader Ramanujacharya visited this shrine on a pilgrimage and systematised the process of worship in accordance with SriVaishnava that remain date.

Well Tirumala foot :

Many pilgrims prefer to walk on foot from Tirupati to Tirumala to have Darshan of the Lord. It is also part of Sankalpam.

For those who want to climb mountains Tirumala to fulfill a promise, there are two good, there are stone paths Tirumala. These curves are called sopanamargas. The older of the two sopanamargas from Alipiri at the foot of the hills, is about 11 km long and is the commonly used route. The other sopanamarga from Chandragiri, but only about 6 km in length, is a more difficult route. It is primarily used by local residents and traders.