Tirupati

Excursion

[ Kodandarama Swamy Temple | Lord Venkateswara Temple | Sila Thoranam | The Govindarajaswami Temple | Tiruchanur ]

Kodandarama Swamy Temple:
One of the inscriptions in the temple says that Sri Venkateshwara Swamy is incarnation of Sri Rama, and Padmavathi whom he married was at the time of Ramavatara a woman named Vedavati, who was substituted for the real Sita at the time of Ravana's abduction. It is believed that Narasimharaya Mudiliyar started the temple construction.

The pilasters found on the walls of the garbhagriha and antarala have Vijayanagara capitals. There is a projecting cornice above the wall with its outer surface decorated with Simhalalata gables and its surface cut into compartments by vertical and horizontal rafters. The Vimana is of the ekatala type containing the series: kuta, panjara, sala, panjara and kuta. Above this tala, there is a phalaka containing lions in the Four Corners. The sikhara is round and contains vertical ribbon cuttings and belongs to the vesara order. There is a single metal kalasa above the sikhara. This temple is about 3 km from Tirupati railway station and is well connected by road and there are frequent buses.

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Lord Venkateswara Temple:
The temple of Balaji at Tirumala Hills is famous world over and millions of pilgrims from across the globe visit the temple annually. The Pallavas, Pandyas, Cholas, the Vijayanagar rulers and the Maharaja of Mysore patronized the temple, which finds mention in ancient texts. The main temple is an excellent example of South Indian temple architecture. The vimana over the sanctum sanctorum as also the Dhwajasthambam (flag post) are gold plated. The idol of Lord Venkateswara itself is divine to behold and pilgrims are blessed with a sense of complete bliss and satisfaction the moment they glimpse the idol during the 'darshan'.

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Sila Thoranam:
Situated on the Tirumala Hills, this natural rock formation is one of nature's wonders and only one of its kinds in Asia, since it is a naturally formed arch of rock. The Sila Thoranam arch is believed to be 1500 million years old and formed by weathering and wind erosion. The length of the arch is 25 feet with a height 10 feet.

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The Govindarajaswami Temple:
This Temple is the main attraction for pilgrims at Tirupati and the biggest in town. The earliest of the records belong to the year 1235 AD. The Guruparampara accounts of the Vaishnavas ascribe the foundation of the shrine to Ramanuja. Peculiar features of the temple are that there are two shrines and not one, as usual, in the centre of the innermost enclosure and an outer wall encloses these two. The shrine to the South is that of Krishna, popularly known as Parthasarathi, while the shrine to the North is that of Govindaraja. The Krishna shrine is presently closed for worship. The earliest record found on the innermost gopura belongs to the fifteenth year of the Yadavaraya chief, Viranarasingadeva of 1224 AD. The Govindaraja Swami Temple in Tirupati is situated at a distance of 1 km from Tirupati railway station and 2 km from Tirupati Bus Station.

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Tiruchanur:
Tiruchanur being situated in a plain country, this proxy temple of Sri Venkateshwara attracted large numbers of Pilgrims who came here to pay their homage to the Lord. A Lord Shiva temple, named after Parasareswara, was constructed in the western part of the village (in the present hamlet Jogi-Mallavaram) and it soon grew popular. There was an important Vaishnava settlement at Tiruchanur by the beginning of the Ninth Century.

The Cholas conquered Tondamandalam in which the Tirupati-Tiruchanur area was situated and they were patrons of Shaivism and Shaiva influence reached this erstwhile Vaishnava stronghold of Tiruchanur. Thus, this region came under the influence of Vaishnavism. The Vaishnavas at Tiruchanur established a Tirumantrasalai and carried on proselytising activity. They also constructed a Tiruvilankoil and set up in it an image of Sri Venkateshwara as a representative of the original God of the vedangam hill.

However, the decline of Chola power about the middle of the thirteenth century led to the rise of many local chieftains to independence. Tiruchanur is important for five temples, four of which exist even to this day. These are the Tiruvilankoil, the Krishna temple, The Parasareswara Temple, the Varadaraja temple and the temple of Padmavathi. The Temple is about 5 km from Tirupati railway station. The Temple is well connected by road and there are frequent buses from Tirupati.

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