Tirumala The picturesque Tirumala hill, along with the city of Tirupati at its foothills is situated in southern Andhra Pradesh and is a major draw for tourists and pilgrims alike from all over India as well as the world. The TIrumala Hill has seven peaks and is consequently considered an incarnation of Seshachala, the seven headed mythical snake of Lord Vishnu. The temple of Sri Venkateshwara was established by the Tamil king Thodaimaan and was subsequently worshipped and supported by the Cholas, Hoysalas, the Rayas of Vijaynagar and all other Telugu kings. The city itself grew up slowly over time, mainly to accommodate the rush of pilgrims who flocked to the place. All the royal devotees of the temple endowed it with fantastic riches. Interestingly enough, Tirumala escaped any major temple invasion throughout its history. In the 19th century, the temple was under the administrative control of the Seva Dossji of the Hathiramji Mutt at Tirumala , to which it was vested by the East India Company . In 1933 the administrative control was officially handed over to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) committee by the Madras high court. Presently a board of trustees with a government nominated official attends to all temple matters. Tirumala is the richest pilgrimage spot amongst any religion and is also the most visited. The town of Tirupati has grown into a bustling settlement, purely on the basis of catering to the waves of pilgrims that arrive to pay homage to Sri Venkateshwara every year. Additionally, it has excellent healthcare facilities and upcoming IT and BPO industries. TIrumala has its own railway station and a nearby airport and is reachable by road as well. Apart from the Sri Venkateshwara temple, there are a lot of other temples to be visited as well, along with a museum and a host of natural waterfalls like the famous “Akash Ganga”. Festival times such as Janmastami and Rama Navami shows the town in its entire splendor and is a must-watch for any tourist. A lot of people also partake in the ancient tradition of offering their hair to the Lord Venkateshwara at the temple. The considerable proceeds from the temple offerings have been put to good use in the development of healthcare and additional facilities as well as maintenance and beautification of the temple, town and its surroundings. Map of Tirumala Andhra Pradesh City Maps Adilabad Anantapur Chittoor Cuddapah Eluru Hyderabad Guntur Kakinada Karimnagar Khammam Kurnool Machilipatnam Mahbubnagar Medak Nalgonda Nellore Nizamabad Ongole Sangareddi Secunderabad Srikakulam Tirupati Tirumala Vijayawada Visakhapatnam Vizianagaram Warangal |
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