Ananda Nilayam Archives - Tirumala Tirupati Yatra

Pancha Berams of Tirupati Balaji

Lord SRINIVASA is

the heavenly Wishing Tree (kalpa taruvu) to those who yearn for Him,
gold to those who hold his hand,
advance honorarium to those who worship Him,
a diamond on hand to those who serve Him,
the Ultimate God to those who conceive of Him,
fulfiller of desires and an unforgettable God,
a form of ananda to those who are lost in his praise,
a miraculous doctor who gives issues even to the barren,
a resident of Ananda Nilaya and
a saviour to the grief-stricken.

Utsavams / Sevas

That is why, the devotees continuously stream to Tirumala hills for a glimpse of the Lord who is like gold in the fist. Some choose to participate in the early morning ‘Waking up Service’ (Suprabhata Seva) of the Lord, and offer worship (Archana) and naivedyam (food).

Some participate in the daily ritual of the Lord’s marriage to witness the glory. (Kalyanotsavam)

Some participate in Poolangi Seva (Garlanding Service) and Tiruppavada Seva (offering of huge heaps of tamarind rice and other prasadas to the main deity as a veil between the deity and the devotees on Thursday), while some others participate in Abhisheka Darshan (ablutions) of the Lord on Friday and go into raptures.

Thus devotees participate in kalyanotsavas, Brahmotsavas, Vasanthotsavas and other ceremonies to receive the grace of the Lord.

In this context, the devotees, however, get a genuine doubt. Is the deity of Lord Srinivasa the same in all these utsavas or different? If different, how many deities are there? How distinctly are the services offered to each of them? Let us look into the details to dispel these doubts, to some extent.

The self-manifested deity of Lord Sri Venkateshwara in Tirumala shrine receives rituals of worship and offerings as per the most ancient Vaikhanasa Agama. Devotees attribute to God whatever is relevant to them and follow a prescribed method of worship (Upasana). That is why, we conduct services of bathing (abhishekam), worship (archana), feeding (naivedyam), the procession (ooregimpu), going to bed (Panpu seva), etc. to God.

Pancha Berams (Beram means an idol or deity)

Since the presiding deity is stationary, we can’t offer all the services, especially taking it in a procession or laying it in bed. Hence, the Agama science has allowed five kinds deities (Pancha Beras) for this purpose.

They are

Dhruva Beram (Presiding Deity),
Kautuka Beram (Sri Bhoga Srinivasa Murthy used for daily worship),
Snapana Beram (Sri Ugra Srinivasa Murthy used for ablutions),
Bali Beram (Sri Koluvu Srinivasa Murthy, the supervising deity for offering oblation to the secondary gods and goddesses of the temple, and
Utsava Beram (Sri Malayappa Swamy, the Processional Deity).

The five-idol system of the Vaikhanasa Agama is followed in the Tirumala shrine. Utsavas are performed for different idols here.

DHRUVA BERAM

The presiding deity or main deity is also termed mula virat, dhruva murthy, or mula beram. This idol of Salagrama stone is a self-manifestation of the Lord wearing a disc and conch in the sanctum sanctorum of Ananda Nilayam. It is about 8 feet high. There will be mainly tomala seva (garlanding service) twice and archana (brief worship) and naivedyam (food) thrice for this deity.

Devotees queue up to see this deity every day.

Every Tuesday as part of the second archana, this main deity with Sri Maha Lakshmi on his chest is offered Ashtadala Pada Padmaaraadhana with 108 gold lotuses. Every Thursday there will be Tiruppavada seva and Netra darshana (glimpse of Lord’s eyes) in the morning, and Poolangi seva (garlanding service) in the evening. In the early hours of every Friday, there will be Abhishekam (bathing with holy waters) to this deity with spices.

Click here to learn more about DHRUVA Beram.

KAUTUKA BERAM

This deity is called Bhoga Srinivasa Murthy or Manavalapperumal. The deity with four hands and disc and conch is a small replica of the main deity by all means. It appears this silver idol of 1.5 feet high was presented by Pallava Queen Samavai in 614 AD. It is always kept at the feet of the main deity of Lord Venkateshwara.

It is bathed with the holy waters of Akasha Ganga every day and with one thousand and eight silver vessels (Sahsra Kalashabhishekam) before the golden entrance every Wednesday morning. There will be Ekantha Seva or Pavalimpu Seva (Going to bed in privacy) every night for the deity. During Dhanurmasa (period of Tiruppavai vratham of Andaal), however, the deity is replaced with that of Lord Krishna with butter in his hand for this seva.

BALI BERAM

This idol is known as Koluvu Srinivasa Murthy or Lekhana Srinivasa Murthy. It is made of five precious metals and resembles the silver idol of Bhoga Srinivasa Murthy. A court (Koluvu) is held in the Snapana Mandapam on the golden throne supported by sculptured lions every day after Tomala Seva before the Archana.

In this court, Koluvu Srinivasa Murthy is offered royal felicitations with chatra (the royal umbrella) and chamara (a fly-flap) befitting an emperor. The particulars of tithi (the number of the day in a month), vaara (weekday) and nakshatra (the presiding star) of the day are read from the Hindu Calendar (Panchanga Shravanam) along with the income and expenditure statement of the earlier day to this deity.

Koluvu Srinivasa Murthy is the supervising authority of the temple’s income and expenditure.

SNAPANA BERAM / Ugra Srinivasa Murthy

The Snapana Beram is also known as Ugra Srinivasa Murthy, Venkatatturaivar or Snapana Murthy. It is 25 inches high. The idols of Ugra Srinivasa Murthy along with Sri Devi and Bhu Devi are made of five precious metals.

They were used for the utsavas in the past. This practice was dispensed with in the 14th century as some untoward incidents occurred in one of the Brahmotsavas. On Kaisika Dwadasi however, the procession of this deity is taken out from the temple early in the morning which ends much before sunrise.

UTSAVA BERAM

It is known as Malayappa Swamy or Utsava Srinivasa Murthy. There is a reference to it in 1339 AD.

This deity appears to the devotees in all the utsavas held outside the temple such as

Nityotsavas (daily ceremonies),
Varotsavas (weekly ceremonies),
Masotsavas (monthly ceremonies) and
Varshikotsavas (annual ceremonies).

It is also made of five precious metals and its height is about 30 inches. Since the idol was found in the Malayappa kona (a recess of Malayappa hill), it is called Malayappa Swami.

Besides the above idols, there are many other idols in the Ananda Nilayam such as –

Sri Sudarshana Chakrattalwar,
Sri Sita, Rama and Laxmana,
Sri Rukmini and Sri Krishna,
the retinue of Sri Venkateshwara Swamy such as
- (a) Anantha,
- (b) Vishwaksena
- (c) Garuthmantha, and
the retinue of Sri Rama, viz –
- (a) Sugreeva,
- (b) Angada,
- (c) Ajnapalaka Anjaneya Swami, etc.

A few utsavas are conducted for these idols also.

Ananda Nilaya Vimana

The word “Vimana” means to house the lofty image of the Supreme being. In the word “Vimanam”, the alphabet ‘ma’ means an object which is measured or made in various ways. The prefix ‘vi’ denotes “vishesha” which signifies the image. So, the word itself, from its etymological aspects carries a noble and elevating significance.

Several Puranas have umpteen references to Vimana with different meanings.

But, in Tirumala, the second among the l08 divya desas, the Supreme being is stationed in the sanctum sanctorum called Ananda Nilaya Vimana. In Sri Padma Puranam, chapter 10, it is described that, the appearance of a new and unblemished Vimana which gladdens the hearts of the viewers, on the western side of the sacred tank.

It is said in Vamana Purana Chapter 40/21, there is an account of Brahma and other gods having obtained a view of the deity in the divine Vimana of this temple. On that occasion, Vishnu is said to have appeared to human beings as the image of Srinivasa in the Sanctum built by man.

Ananda Nilaya Vimana indicates the abode of Mulavirat of the sacred Seven Hills.

Ananda Nilaya Vimana - Ananda Nilayam - Tirupati Balaji — Ananda Nilaya Vimana – Ananda Nilayam – Tirupati Balaji Temple, Tirumala

The Blissful Supreme

It is said that Thondaman Chakravarti, a great King of the Thondamandalam area ordered to build Lord Srinivasa Temple and a Vimana as described in Bhavishyothara Purana. Even in Tiruvenkata Puranam’s eleventh chapter, the same was told in Tamil.

In the Puranic age, it is said that Vamana Purana refers that on the banks of Swami Pushkarani, great sages headed by Agasthya along with King Sanaka, visualized the Lord when he manifested himself in his divine Ananda Nilaya Vimana, which was conical, studded with precious stones and decked with garlands of pearls.

In Vamana Purana, Agastya says that in the Kali age which was yet to come, a holy Vimana will destroy all sins of viewers, which by its auspicious nature will gladden the hearts of all viewers, which will be worshipped by celestial beings, gandharvas etc., which will have unique good features, in which the Lord will be ever resident, is going to be designed and constructed by the devotees of Vishnu.

The Vimana was directly transported from the world of Bliss i.e. Sri Vaikunta.

It is also the abode of Ananda – the blissful Supreme being in archa form, the Vimana over the abode of Sri Srinivasa was named Ananda Nilaya Vimana. Even in the Ashtotharam of Sri Venkateswara, it is said :

Om Vaikuntaagatha Sadhema vimaana antargataaya Namaha!!

It is also said that Vimana was created by the Supreme being Himself out of his own Maya as stated: Om Maayaa gooda Vimaanaaya Namaha!!

According to the most authentic source of Tirumala rituals, Tirumalai Ozhugu, in one of the 3 visits of Sriman Ramanuja set aside the disputes about “Who the God is?” and confirmed with indisputable facts that the Lord on Seven Hills is Lord Narayana only.

During that time Sriman Ramanuja consecrated the deity by adorning Mulavirat with Conch and Discus and performed a full-scale Samprokshanam as per the rules of Vaikhanasa Agama by installing the images of Varaha, Narasimha, Vaikuntanatha and Srinivasa on four sides of the Vimana.

In Tirumala, Lord Narasimha is housed in the north of Swami Pushkarani. Intending to reduce his fierceness, Sriman Ramanuja shifted the deity from that place to the northeast of Ananda Nilaya Vimana and established him facing the Vimana.

Great Art

The significance of Vimana is that it is a three-storeyed Vimana constructed to the maximum height. The square base is 27’4″ and the height is 37’8″, which includes Kalasa over the present terrace of sanctum sanctorum.

The first two tiers are rectangular and the third is circular in plan. There are no figures sculpted in the first tier. There are forty figures in the second and the third or topmost story is placed with good space left out at the four corners.

During the Samprokshanam, two lions with a lotus in between them were installed. It is said that about 12 tons of copper and 12000 tolas of gold were used in the construction of the Kavacham for the Ananda Nilayam. It is said that the outstanding feature of the Vimana is a blend of traditional design and artistic skill, modern techniques of manufacture and finishing, not to speak of elaborate attention paid to every small detail of the work.

It will be of great interest to know from the TTD inscriptions about the growth and development of Ananda Nilaya Vimana, since Pandya King. It is said that Sundara Pandya was the first to make a gold Kalasa and fixed it in 1262 A.D.. Vira Narasimha of Vijayanagara King performed his Tulabhara ceremony and presented the gold to the temple for guiding the Vimana and other structures.

Renovations

Saluva Mangideva, a general under Kumara Kampana Udaiyar, fixed a golden Sikhara on the Vimana in 1359 A.D..
Amatyasekhara Mallana, a Minister under Devaraya-II in 1417 A.D. renovated Ananda Nilaya Vimana.
In 1518, Sri Krishnadevaraya, Vijayanagara King, during his fifth visit presented 30,000 gold varahas for guilding of the Vimana.
Again in 1630 A.D. Kotikanyakadanam Taachariar of Kancheepuram, arranged gold guilding of the Vimana.
Later in 1908, Adhikari Ramalakshmanadasa, one of the brother disciples of Sri Mahant Prayagdasa fixed gold Kalasa over the Vimana. Thus, Ananda Nilaya Vimana was covered with gold gilted plates in different times.

Krite Varadarajastu Tretayam Ranganayakah!
Dwapare Tu Jagannathah Kalov Venkatanayakah!!

Data source: Article posted by Dr. M. Varadarajan

Tag: Ananda Nilayam

5 Idols of Tirupati Balaji – Pancha Berams