The temple of Lord Venkateswara, Lord of the Seven Hills, in Tirumala, commonly called Tirupati, is the richest and most revered temple in India. It is located amidst picturesque surroundings - 860 metres above sea level on a hill named Venkatadri - the last of the seven hills - one has to cross to reach the temple from the small town of Tirupati. Please remember that Tirupati is a small town from
where the climb to the temple begins. The Tirupati temple is not in Tirupati, but in Tirumala. HISTORY
The temple is believed to have existed from ancient times. There are references to it in the Rigveda. According to Hindu mythology, after the great Deluge, Lord Vishnu, rescued the earth in the form of a White Boar, Sweta Varaha, and stayed back on the earth for some time to protect the good and destroy the evil. He stayed on the bank of the Varaha Tirutham at the northern portion of Pushkarini at Tirumala. The Adj Varahaswami temple on the north western bank of the Pushkarini at Tirumala is believed to mark that place. This temple is older than the temple of Lord Venkateswara. According to the Puranas, the seven hills of Tirumala represent the seven heads of the serpent Adisesha, on which Lord Vishnu rests. Tirupati temple was patronised by successive kings - the Pallavas of Kancheepuram (9th century AD); the Cholas of Thanjavur (a century later); and the Pandyas of Madurai. The Vijayanagar kings (14th - 15th century AD) were great devotees and patrons of Tirupati and made more contributions. Krishnadevaraya had statues of himself and his wives installed inside the Tirupati temple. There is also a statue of Venkatapati Raya in the main temple. The Maratta general, Raghoji Bhonsle, visited the temple and set up a permanent endowment for the temple. He also presented valuable jewels to the temple, including the great emerald which is still preserved in a box named after him. The rulers of Mysore and Gadhwal also made donations. After the end of the Hindu rule, the rulers of Karnataka; and after them, the Britishers continued the patronage. In 1843, administration of the temple passed to Sri Seva Dossji of the Hathiramji Mutt at Tirumala. In 1933, the Government passed a special Act, handing over administration to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Committee. To-day, under another law, a Board of Trustees appointed by the Andhra Pradesh Government maintains the T.T. Devasthanams which include 12 temples and their sub-shrines. The TTD Board is a miniature government.
