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| Sunday, 1 December 2002 |
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Tirumala temple - a landmark by Jayampathy Jayasinghe A group of travel representatives and two journalists from the print media were invited by the Indian Government in Andra Pradesh for a tour of the state, which boasts of the oldest shrine in the region. We boarded a bus from Chennai and travelling through the desolate and impoverished villages arrived at Tirupati. Travelling nearly four hundred miles made the journey a bit tedious as we had no sleep the previous night. Venkateswara temple stands on Venkatadri hill surrounded by high hills on all sides. Tirumala town can be reached after crossing the seven hills located in the Nallamalai range of the Eastern ghats. It is the abode of god Venkateswara also known as god Vishnu. Venkateswara is known as Balaji the Lord of the seven hills. The easiest route to Tirumala is by bus, through a steep winding road that goes over the seven mountains. The other approach is by climbing the long flight of steps, which takes several hours. But some devotees prefer to walk so as to fulfil their vows to the deity. The distance from the foot of the hills to the Tirumala city is about 18 kilometres. Legend has it that the seven hills resemble a snake with Tirumala forming the hood. They say it is the serpent Adisesha with its seven hoods. Lord Venkateswara known as the lord of the seven hills is the incarnation of lord Vishnu. One feels the tug of restlessness travelling in a bus snaking through the hills along hairpin bends. Looking down on the valley below, from a height of 2800 ft. gives a breathtaking view of Tirupati town partially covered by mist. The one way road up the carriageway to Tirumala is precipitous but the descending road from the hill is not steep as it circles several mountains. When darkness falls, the blinking lights of motor vehicles descending the Tirumala hills in the distance could be viewed from Tirupati town as if watching a giant radar screen with tiny lights. It is a spectacular sight. Natural rock Tirumala temple town is a vast complex with state-run guest houses for pilgrims with beautiful flower gardens, spacious restaurants serving authentic vegetarian food. Whilst strolling in the vicinity of Tirumala town we came across Sila Thoranam, a natural rock formation of an arch believed to be 1500 million years old, formed by weathering and wind erosion. The length of the arch is 25 feet and 10 feet in height. According to our guide only two such archs are found at Utah, USA named the Rainbow Arch and the Cut Through in UK. The natural rock formation is found in a place called Chakra Tirham. In the evening we visited the goldplated historic Tirumala temple that lies in the hills of Chittor district bordering the Tamilnadu and the Visakapatnam district. The temple is venerated by millions of Hindu devotees who visit from different parts of the world. Those who visit the shrine for the first time, mainly Hindus go with their heads fully shaven. There were several such children at Tirumala with their shaven heads accompanying their parents. According to ancient texts the Tirupati temple was patronized by the Pallavas, Pandyass, Cholas, the Vijayanagar ruler and the Maharajah of Mysore. The Tirupati temple is unique and its antiquity is steped in mystery. The temple was supposed to have been a sacred place in the Hindu epochs. The earliest reference to the temple is found in the works of Tamil poet Mamlulanar of the Sangam period. Tirupati temple is a masterpiece of the Dravidian architecture.The other famous shrines in Tirupati town includes Govindarajaswamy, Kodana Ramasawamy, Tiruchanur (Goddess Padmavathi) Kapila Theertham (Lord Shiva).To most Hindus, it is a divine destination for those in search of God. Being the most holiest shrine for Hindus, security is tight at the Venkateswara temple considering recent attacks on several such places of religious worship by fanatical terrorists. Inside the temple we often heard devotees chanting Govinda Govinda, Govinda, a reverence to God Vishnu. Festival The annual ten day festival known as Brahmotsavam draws thousands of pilgrims to Tirumala hills. Brahma also signifies its grandeur and incomparability. It is a unique event celebrated every year. Vishnu is regarded as the 9th Avatar or the incarnation of Buddha. As we moved slowly in the queue and got nearer the inner shrine, we were able to see the procession of deity Venkateswara's statue being drawn on a chariot by colourfully decorated two huge white oxen. Several elephants dressed in costumes were also taken in the procession following the chariot. Dancing before the chariot were women clenching wooden sticks and rhythmically beating them to the music. Having got pushed and squeezed in the queue we finally arrived at the inner shrine. Scantily clad Hindu devotees were seen rolling and praying on the ground fulfilling their sacred vows to God. In the inner shrine were the statue of Ventateswara amidst garlands flanked by his two consorts Alamelumanga and Padmavati. The shrine is separated by an iron gate but can be seen at close quarters. The belief is that the pilgrims are blessed the moment they glimpse the statue of the deity during the "Darshan". Before leaving the shrine priests offered holy water and blessed devotees by placing a crown shape ornament on the heads. We left the shrine and entered a spacious hall through a passage where several priests were serving Prasadam consisting of sweets etc. The Tirumala temple is the oldest shrine in the region which received favours from several royal families that ruled the empire. According to texts, during the Vijayanagara period in the 16th century A.D. Krishnadevaraya undertook the expansion of the temple. Pilgrims visit Tirumala and Tirupathi every year in thousands. |
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