Information about Tirupati Balaji Temple
Location: Trimula
State: Andhra Pradesh
Capital: Hyderabad
Language: Telugu, Hindi, English
Temperature: Max 42˚C, Min 27˚C (summer), Max 21˚C, Min 14˚C (winter)
Best Season: October to February
How to Reach:
By Air
Andhra Pradesh has many airports to boast of. The international airport being located in Hyderabad, there are numerous domestic airports sited at cities like Tirupati, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Secunderabad, Warangal, Vijay Wada, etc. All the airports provide fine services to ensure a comfortable journey to the passengers.
By Rail
An efficient railway network connects the cities of Andhra Pradesh with the major cities of India. The state has a railway route of approximately 5,085 kilometres, of which 4,362 km is broad gauge, 686 km is meter gauge and mere 37 km is narrow gauge.
By Road
Andhra Pradesh has a well laid-out network of national highways and state highways passing through its expanse. More or less, the 4,104 km of the National Highways network move across Andhra Pradesh. The State Highways have about 60,000 km of covered network. Another network of 1, 04,000 km is made by the Panchayati Raj.
By Sea
There are a number of commercial ports along the coastline of Andhra Pradesh. The most important port is the one at Visakhapatnam. Other minor ports consist of those at Kakinada, Machilipatnam, Bheemunipatnam, Krishnapatnam, Vadarevu and Kalingapatnam
There is ample literary and epigraphic testimony to the antiquity of the temple of Lord Sri Venkateswara.
Sri KrishnadevarayaAll the great dynasties of rulers of the southern peninsula have paid homage to Lord Sri Venkateswara in this ancient shrine. The Pallavas of Kancheepuram (9th century AD), the Cholas of Thanjavur (a century later), the Pandyas of Madurai, and the kings and chieftains of Vijayanagar (14th – 15th century AD) were devotees of the Lord and they competed with one another in endowing the temple with rich offerings and contributions.
It was during the rule of the Vijayanagar dynasty that the contributions to the temple increased. Sri Krishnadevaraya had statues of himself and his consorts installed at the portals of the temple, and these statues can be seen to this day. There is also a statue of Venkatapati Raya in the main temple.
After the decline of the Vijayanagar dynasty, nobles and chieftains from all parts of the country continued to pay their homage and offer gifts to the temple. The Maratha general, Raghoji Bhonsle, visited the temple and set up a permanent endowment for the conduct of worship in the temple. He also presented valuable jewels to the Lord, including a large emerald which is still preserved in a box named after the General. Among the later rulers who have endowed large amounts are the rulers of Mysore and Gadwal.
After the fall of the Hindu kingdoms, the Muslim rulers of Karnataka and then the Britishers took over, and many of the temples came under their supervisory and protective control.
In 1843 AD, the East India Company divested itself of the direct management of non-Christian places of worship and native religious institutions. The administration of the shrine of Sri Venkateswara and a number of estates were then entrusted to Sri Seva Dossji of the Hatiramji Mutt at Tirumala, and the temple remained under the administration of the Mahants for nearly a century, till 1933 AD.
In 1933, the Madras Legislature passed a special act, which empowered the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams(TTD) Committee to control and administer a fixed group of temples in the Tirumala-Tirupati area, through a Commissioner appointed by the Government of Madras.
In 1951, the Act of 1933 was replaced by an enactment whereby the administration of TTD was entrusted to a Board of Trustees, and an Executive Officer was appointed by the Government .
The provisions of the Act of 1951 were retained by Charitable and Religious Endowments Act, 1966.
Vaikuntham Queue Complex:
The entrance for darshan is through the Vaikuntam Queue Complex. The complex is a series of inter-connected halls that leads to the main temple. An efficient queue system ensures that pilgrims move in an orderly fashion through the Queue Complex, towards the main temple.
The halls in the Queue Complex are clean, spacious and airy. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam provides different facilities in the queue complex, as the distance from the portals to sanctum sanctorum is quite long. The following are:
1)Canteens with food packets at subsidized rates.
2)The Andhra Pradesh Dairy Development Corporation counter which sells milk.
3)Medical aid.
4)Sale of photographs, calendars and other TTD publications.
5)Toilets.
6)Closed Circuit Television, through which devotional programmers and music are relayed.
7)Cloakrooms are near the Vaikuntham Queue Complex entrance.
8)At the entrance there is a place for footwear to be deposited. (Free of cost).
There are appointed officials who expressly manage facilities in the Vaikuntam Queue Complex. People can approach them for help, for redressal of complaints and so on.