Lord Venkateshwara in Tirumala - A brief History

As I explained in my previous post, the presiding deity in Tirumala is Lord Venkateshwara means the Lord who destroys the sins of people. The name Venkateshwara can be split into multiple parts in Sanskrit. Ven (sins), kata (destroyer), and ishwara (Supreme Lord). He is fondly called as venki by many of his devotees. The presence of 7 hills influenced the name of deity as 'Ezhumalaiyan'(in Tamil) and 'Ezhukondalavadu'( in Telugu) which means 'Lord of the 7 hills'. The origins of the temple is still a matter of scholarly debate.

Sri Venkatachala Mahatmyam is the most accepted legend with respect to Tirumala and provides the history of the temple across the various yugas. The Sangam literature of Tamil such as that of Silapadikaram and Satanar Manimekalai, dated between 500BC and 300AD, mentions Thiruvengadam (now named Tirupati) by the appellation "Nediyon Kunram" as the northernmost frontier of the Tamil kingdoms.

In fact, a fairly detailed description of the deity is given in the famous Tamil Literature Silapathikaram and the verses are:

“ High on Vengadam's towering crest, with
flowing streams in flood,
Betwixt the effulgent glory, of shining Sun and Moon,
Like unto a blue cloud in lightning dresst In all the brilliance of rainbow dight, The Red-eyed great One, majestic stands
In dress of flowery brilliance with garland bright,
One lotus hand with fearsome disc adorned, and milk white conch (the other held.)
”
Puranic literature which was composed roughly around the post-Mauryan and early-Gupta era also mentions of Tirupati as the Aadhi Varaha Kshetra.


The Puranas associate the site with Lord Varaha one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The Varaha shrine holds great importance in Tirupati and is said to be older than the main sanctum of Venkateswara. There is also the Ranga Mandapam, which is to the left side of the temple as we enter. This is where the main deity "Sri Ranganatha Swamy" of SriRangam Temple (Trichy) was protected, for a period of almost 60 years, during attacks byMalik Kafur in the 14th Century.