Sri Venkateswara Temple Tirupati
The temple of Sri Venkateswara or Tirupati Balaji is situated above the actual city of Tirupati in the hilltop town of Tirumalai. This hill shrine is one of the eight holy places of Lord Vishnu, hailed as Swayamvyakta Kshetras (self-manifested).
Tirupati Balaji Temple is also acclaimed as the holiest of the celebrated 108 Tirupatis (Vaishnava Divya Desams) of the Lord. The darshan of the Lord begins at 3 in the morning and ends at 12 midnight.
The shrine is situated on a hill at Tirumala, a cluster of seven hills known as Seshachalam or Venkatachalam with a height of 853m (2,800ft.) above the sea level.
The Lord of Tirumala is considered as the all-pervading Lord of the Universe .
The Architecture
The ancient Tirupathi Balaji is a fine example of Dravidian temple architecture. The dynasties like the Pallavas of Kanchipuram, the Cholas of Tanjore, the Pandyas of Madurai and the Kings and chiefs of Vijayanagara have contributed a lot to the development of this temple. They endowed the shrine, offering worship to the presiding deity. The Tirupati temple also has beautiful 'gopuram' or tower. The 'Vimana' or Cupola over the sanctum sanctorum is covered entirely with gold plate and is known as "the Ananda Nilayam". The Shrine consists of three 'Prakarams' or enclosures. The outermost enclosure contains the 'Dhvajastambha' or the banner post and, among others, the statues of Vijayanagara king Krishnadevaraya and his consorts, and of Todarmal, the minister of Akbar. The idol of the deity, the full figure of Lord Venkateswara or 'Venkataramana' or 'Srinivasa' or 'Balaji' (as is called in various parts of the country) has the attributes of both Vishnu and Shiva, preserving and destroying aspects of the Hindu trinity.
The offerings include several special Sevas and Sarva Darshan, which is free. Devotees wait in long queues for hours to have darshan of the Lord. They consider that brief moment of having a glimpse of their favorite God as one of great fulfillment and spiritual enlightenment.There is a steep staircase up the hill to Tirumalai.Pilgrims wishing to climb all the way can use the steps otherwise standard transportation is readily available
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