Tirumala

Tirumala is regarded as the ultimate heaven, Paramapada, heaven on the earth in Kaliyuga. Lord Venkateswara is regarded as Kalki, the tenth incarnation of God. He is especially here to save humanity from the evil effects of Kaliyuga. It is said, Kalou Sri Venkata Nayakah.

The devotees believe that there is no need to go on a pilgrimage to any place other than Tirumala because Tirumala is the epitome of all holy shrines. It fulfils all the desires of the devotees. It is believed that there has not been any temple equivalent to Venkatadri in the entire world either in the past or present and there will not be any in future as enunciated in the shloka “Venkatadri samasthanam Brahmande Nastikinchana..”.

Sheshachala shrine is renowned all over the worlds as a holy place.

Vedas sings in his praise thus, “YO SI SOSI” I.e. “Thou art what thou art” (Nuvvu kala, nuvve oka kala), he is none else than Lord srinivasa who is worshiped as a peerless lord in all Yugas.

There are seven hills in Tirumala, namely—Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. They are regarded as the incarnation of thousand-hooded Adi Sesha. Adi Sesha, the serpent bed of the Lord, is a symbol of Kundalini energy.

The seven hills are symbols of its awakening from muladhara chakra through swadhishthana, manipuraka, anahata, vishuddha, ajnya to sahasrara leading to the explosion of wisdom in the form of unlimited brilliance.

There are a few legends connected to the origin of Seshachala on the earth. According to Varaha Purana, Lord Vishnu incarnates Himself as Adi Varaha and rescues the Earth from Hiranyaksha by killing him. On the plea of Brahma and other angels, He decides to stay on the earth for the welfare of humanity.

He orders Brahma to recreate the world as before. He asks his Vahana Garuda to fetch Kridachala from Vaikuntha and place it in a chosen sacred spot near the Suvarnamukhi River. It is to the east of Swami Pushkarini now. This Kridachala is the present Seshachala. Another legend says that once in Dvapara Yuga, Adi Sesha resisted the entry of Wind- God Vayu into Vaikuntha as Lord Vishnu was in solitude with His consort Lakshmi.

Angry Vayu challenges Adi Sesha for a duel to test their power. Adi Sesha ties himself to the Meru mountain and asks Vayu to move the mountain, if he can. After a long trial when Vayu seemed to relent, Adi Sesha heaves a sigh and lifts his hood as a sign of victory.

Seizing the opportunity, Vayu blows off one of the peaks of Meru which lands near the Swarnamukhi river. Adi Sesha comes down to merge with it on the advice of Vishnu. Thus, the peak of Meru gets the name Seshachalam on which Lord Venkateswara resides.

Lord Venkateswara is the god of all times. The planning for the journey to Tirumala is itself very joyful. During the visit to Tirumala, a devotee should be self-disciplined and self-cautious regarding his activities. He should know what to do and what not to do on the pious hill. Since the beginning of the journey, the devotees feel that every moment they spend is a part of their holy pilgrimage. It is their ‘Yatra Deeksha’.

During the pilgrimage, the devotees should have pure thoughts. They should not blame others. They should think good of others. Before coming to Tirumala, they should worship their household and village gods and goddesses. In the course of the journey, they should only concentrate on the thought of having the grand ‘darshan’ of Lord Venkateswara.

There are various kinds of sevas, utsavas, festivals and rituals being performed throughout the year periodically for Lord Venkateswara with great pomp and grandeur. Of all festivals, a nine-day annual festival of Lord Venkateswara, the Presiding Deity of Seven Hills and the God of Kaliyuga, is the most splendid and spectacular one.

Though every day is a festival day in Tirumala, the Brahmotsavam assumes greater significance and importance having its grandeur and uniqueness.