In the hills of Tirupati, nature and man have collaborated to proffer the traveller more than just a holy communion
It was still dark outside. Lord Balaji was being awakened. Slokas were being recited. Tightly packed among the throngs of people offering their orisons, I tried to get a peak of the devotees who were rolling on the ground around the temple, slowly chanting the Lord’s name. Some minutes later we all shuffled in a single file along a long path. In no time I was face to face with the imposing and awe-inspiring idol of Lord Balaji. Five moments later, before I could entirely take in the magnificence before me, I was asked to move along. Roughly 60,000 people come for a darshan of Lord Venkateswara/ Lord Balaji every day to this ancient temple at Tirumala. I’d travelled in a car for some 150 kms from Chennai to reach; pilgrims often abandon their vehicles and climb roughly 4000 steps for a darshan, for their prayers to be fulfilled by Lord Balaji. I had witnessed the Suprabhatam (awakening the Lord) that morning; similar sevas are conducted through the day, where the Lord is given a bath, the Lord is given breakfast, to finally when around 10pm the Lord is put to bed.
3200ft above sea level, the Tirumala Hill comprises seven hills. On the seventh hill is the sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara. Legend has it that Thondaiman, the ruler of Thondaimandalam (present-day Kanchipuram), built the temple after Lord Vishnu appeared in his dreams. Its current grandeur and richness is primarily thanks to the competition among rulers of South Indian dynasties, be it the Pallavas of Kanchipuram (9th century AD), the Cholas of Thanjavur (10 AD), the Pandyas of Madurai, or the kings and chieftains of Vijayanagar (14th-15th century AD), who all attempted to out-do each other in their offerings to the Lord. This tradition especially gained strength during the reign of the Vijayanagar dynasty, and to this day there are people who offer bags filled with jewels to the Lord.
Another offering especially associated with this temple is that of hair. Both men and women completely shave their head as a gesture of sacrifice in return for fulfilment of their prayers or as penance. The temple earns in millions annually through the sale of tonnes of devotees’ locks! Thus through receiving the offerings of hair and people’s wealth, the temple has built a reputation of being the richest temple in the world.
It was still dark outside. Lord Balaji was being awakened. Slokas were being recited. Tightly packed among the throngs of people offering their orisons, I tried to get a peak of the devotees who were rolling on the ground around the temple, slowly chanting the Lord’s name. Some minutes later we all shuffled in a single file along a long path. In no time I was face to face with the imposing and awe-inspiring idol of Lord Balaji. Five moments later, before I could entirely take in the magnificence before me, I was asked to move along. Roughly 60,000 people come for a darshan of Lord Venkateswara/ Lord Balaji every day to this ancient temple at Tirumala. I’d travelled in a car for some 150 kms from Chennai to reach; pilgrims often abandon their vehicles and climb roughly 4000 steps for a darshan, for their prayers to be fulfilled by Lord Balaji. I had witnessed the Suprabhatam (awakening the Lord) that morning; similar sevas are conducted through the day, where the Lord is given a bath, the Lord is given breakfast, to finally when around 10pm the Lord is put to bed.
3200ft above sea level, the Tirumala Hill comprises seven hills. On the seventh hill is the sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara. Legend has it that Thondaiman, the ruler of Thondaimandalam (present-day Kanchipuram), built the temple after Lord Vishnu appeared in his dreams. Its current grandeur and richness is primarily thanks to the competition among rulers of South Indian dynasties, be it the Pallavas of Kanchipuram (9th century AD), the Cholas of Thanjavur (10 AD), the Pandyas of Madurai, or the kings and chieftains of Vijayanagar (14th-15th century AD), who all attempted to out-do each other in their offerings to the Lord. This tradition especially gained strength during the reign of the Vijayanagar dynasty, and to this day there are people who offer bags filled with jewels to the Lord.
Another offering especially associated with this temple is that of hair. Both men and women completely shave their head as a gesture of sacrifice in return for fulfilment of their prayers or as penance. The temple earns in millions annually through the sale of tonnes of devotees’ locks! Thus through receiving the offerings of hair and people’s wealth, the temple has built a reputation of being the richest temple in the world.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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