TIRUMALA SRI VENKATESWARA TEMPLE

Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Temple is a famous Vedic temple in the hill town ofTirumala, near Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is the richest temple in the world in terms of donations received and wealth, and the most-visited place of worship in the world.The temple is visited by about 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily (30 to 40 million people annually on average), while on special occasions and festivals, like the annual Brahmotsavam, the number of pilgrims shoots up to 500,000, making it the most-visited holy place in the world.

It is around 435 km (270 mi) fromVijayawada, 571.9 km(355.3 mi) from Hyderabad, 138 km (86 mi) from Chennaiand 291 km (181 mi) from Bangalore.

The Tirumala Hill is 853m above sea level and is about 10.33 square miles (27 km2) in area. It comprises seven peaks, representing the seven heads of Adisesha, thus earning the name Seshachalam. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. The temple is on Venkatadri (also known as Venkatachala or Venkata Hill), the seventh peak, and is also known as the "Temple of Seven Hills". The presiding deityof the temple is Lord Venkateswara, an incarnation of lord Vishnu. Venkateswara is known by other names: Balaji, Govinda, and Srinivasa. The temple lies on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini, a holy water tank. The temple complex comprises a traditional temple building, with a number of modern queue and pilgrim lodging sites.The temple is listed as 106th and the last earthly divya desam(total).The rich legacy of this temple are supported by Tamil and Telugu texts.

There are several legends associated with the manifestation of the Lord in Tirumala. According to one legend, the temple has amurti (deity) of Lord Venkateswara, which it is believed shall remain here for the entire duration of the present Kali Yuga.