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ToggleBhoga Srinivasa Murthy - Used for daily worship - Kautuka Bera
Bhoga Srinivasa Murthy is also called as Manavalapperumal. The deity with four hands, disc and conch is a small replica of the main deity. It appears of a silver idol of 1.5 feet high was presented by Pallava queen Samavai in 614 AD.
This idol is made of silver and was consecrated by the donor, the Pallava queen, Samavai in 966 A.D. The donor’s consecration is recorded in an epigraph on the northern wall of the temple prakaram which is perhaps the earliest inscription in the temple.
History - Pallava Queen
A Pallava queen by the name of Samavayi (Shyamavva or Shyamalamba) presented this silver idol to the temple in the year 614 A.D. She is popularly called ‘Kadavan Perun Devi’. At that time it seems, that the Ananda Nilayam was undergoing some repair work.
click here for the "History of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple"
To facilitate the worship without any disruption, she got Tiruvilan Koil (Bala Alayam or small temple) constructed and installed the silver idol of the Lord. Now this place is called Snapana (Holy Ablutions) Mandapam.
After installing this silver idol she made arrangements for Nitya Pooja and Nitya Abhishekam. She had passed a rule to take out the idol of Sri Bhoga Srinivasa Moorthy in procession in the Tamil month of Peratasi (Sep- October).
She had liberally donated varieties of ornaments and jewelry to Sri Bhoga Srinivasa Moorthy. From that day onwards this silver idol known as Sri Bhoga Srinivasa Moorthy has occupied a place of importance in all temple rituals.
Inscriptions
It mentions that Queen Samavai also called Kadavan – Perundevi and queen of Sakti -Vitankan arranged in the 14th regnal year of her Lord and king Koppatra – Mahendra Panmar for a daily offering of 4 nali of tiruvamudu (cooked rice) and a perpetual lamp (nandavailakku) for tirumanjanam on the two Ayana-Sankrantis and the two Vishnu Sankrantis for celebrating the Purataasi festival commencing from the two days before the main festival.
To conduct the festival for nine days and also installed in the Tiruvilankoyil (by which name the Garbhagriha of the temple was then known), this idol after performing special worship of the God of the sacred Venkata Hill.
She also presented gold ornaments worth 47 kalanjus. Lands were also endowed, to the new Kautuka Bhera, named Manavalapperumal and the managers of the temple were enjoined to conduct the services and the sabhaiyar were ordered to protect the endowed lands from being taxed.
True copy of the Dhruva Bera
Kautuka Bera idol is a true copy of the Dhruva Bera except that the Shanka and Chakra are permanently fixed in the case of Bhoga Srinivasa.
On the pitham and below the feet of the Kautuka Bera, is a Yantra, as if two equilateral triangles are symmetrically interplaced one being an invert of the other. It is possible that such a Yantram might have existed originally in the idol of the Lord also.
For Ekanta Seva
The Bhoga Srinivasa gets Abhisheka every morning, accompanied by mantras, unlike the Dhruva Bera to which Abhishekam is performed only on Fridays.
At night this Deity is put to bed in paryankasana. During the daily Ekanta Seva this idol is placed in a silver cradle in the Sayana mandapa and milk, etc., is offered to this Lord to the accompaniment of music and songs composed by the Tallapaka poets.
During Ekantha Seva Lord Venkateswara will be offered sugar mixed with lukewarm cow’s milk. Pancha Kajjayam consisting of poppy seeds sugar, cashew nuts, dry coconut, dry grapes, cardamom powder, made of cut fruits, etc., is also offered
Sandalwood paste is also applied to Him every night. One peculiarity of this service in this temple is that the Ekanta Seva is performed to the idol of Manavalapperumal for all months of the year, except one, viz., the Dhanurmasa, when the Ekanta Seva is done for the Krishna idol.
This idol was intimately connected with the main idol of the Dhruva Murti using a silk cord at the time of installation. A gold link and a silk cord are still attached to this idol when he is brought outside the Sanctum Sanctorum for deputizing the Dhruva Murti on festive occasions.
