Lord Venkatachalapathi of Thirupati is one of the most powerful and most mysterious of all the murtis in our temples. There are many interesting and incredible stories connected with this form of Lord Vishnu. Let us first find out what the Puranas have to say about the reason why Lord Vishnu manifested himself at this spot.

Once the sage Brighu wanted to find out which of the three deities of the trinity was the most forgiving and compassionate. He went first to Brahma Loka and then to Kailasa and he was not happy with the way he was treated. Brahma had no time for him and Shiva was angry at the intrusion. At last he reached Vaikunta, the abode of Lord Vishnu. He barged inside and kicked Lord Vishnu on the chest. The Lord got up and begged his pardon for not having received him with all honours and apologised for having hurt his tender foot with his adamantine chest! Brighu was astounded at his humility and went and told everyone that Vishnu was the greatest in the trinity. However, Lakshmi who is always residing on Vishnu’s chest did not appreciate this kick and left Vaikunda and went down to the earth where she started to do tapas in order to get Vishnu back. Her name at that time was Vedavati. At that time Ravana, the demon king of Lanka approached her and tried to disturb her by pulling her hair. She opened her eyes and cursed him that that he would face death if he touched any other woman without her consent. Then she immolated herself in the fire and reincarnated in a royal family and was given the name of Padmavati. The Lord came in search of his beloved and at last discovered her whereabouts. He decided that the only way to get her back was by meditating. He mediated for so long that an ant hill grew over him. Lord Shiva and Brahma came to search for him and found him inside this. Shiva took on the form of a cow and poured milk into the ant hill to feed him. By the time he had finished his tapas, Padmavati had grown up. He met her and got her consent to marry him. Her father insisted that he give a huge bride price. Since he did not have this amount he had borrow from Kubera, the king of the yakshas who are the guardians of wealth. It was such an enormous sum that he is still paying it back! That is why everyone puts some money into the huge “hundis” or donation bins in order to help him.

The Lord chose a place in the seven hills of Thirumala to take up his abode. These seven hills are said to be the body of the divine serpent Shesha who has taken on the form of the mountain in order to support the Lord. When he went there he found that Lord Varaha, his own incarnation as the boar had already taken up his residence there. Venkatachalapati  asked him for a piece of land which was granted on condition that everyone who came to worship at the temple should first pay obeisance to him and that all offerings should be made to him first. He readily agreed and to this day all offerings are first made to Varaha Swamy whose temple is in the N.W corner of the famous temple tank called Pushkarini. The temple complex is spread over an area of 16.2 acres of land. This place has been called “Bhuloka Vaikunda” which means “Heaven on earth”. Various are the names given to the deity here - Govinda, Venkatachalapati, Venkateswara, Sreenivasa and Balaji.

The main entrance is huge – fifty feet. Water is constantly flowing in front of the step so that anyone who enters has to automatically wash their feet before entering. This entrance is known as the Mahadwara or Simhadwara. On either side you find statues of the guardians of the gate made of an alloy of five metals (panchaloha). Before you can have darshan of the Lord you have to pass through this door which is made of brass and another one of silver and finally the golden door beyond which is the sanctum sanctorum.

If you are standing in the queue you will be pushed along until suddenly you come face to face with the huge murti of Lord Venkateswara. He is 9ft 9 inches tall and stands on a pedestal. The chest is said to be 40 inches in width and the waist between 24 to 27 inches. The first sight is really overpowering. The first time I came I gave a gasp of awe when faced with this. Somehow I never expected something so enormous. The face has exquisite features. On Thursdays when all accoutrements are removed the upper body is seen to have the image of Lakshmi Devi carved on the right side of the chest. When the sandal paste covering the idol is removed this imprint of the goddess can be seen and is often kept for sale. The murti has four arms. The upper arms look as if they are meant to hold his weapons – The Sudarshana Chakra and the conch called Panchajanya but these weapons are not integral to the murti. The removable chakra is placed in the upper right hand and the conch on the upper left arm. The lower right hand has the “varada hasta” mudra –which is the pose for showering blessings on the devotee. The lower left hand has the Katyavalambita mudra – with the palm facing the Lord with the thumb nearly parallel to the waist. The shoulder is supposed to have marks that resemble scars made by the constant wearing of a bow and quiver.

 The sanctum is known as “Ananda Nilayam” (abode of bliss) and the murti is said to be “swayambhu” or self- created. It was not made by human hands! No one knows what it is made of. There are historical records of the persons who made the temple and those who renovated it and so on but no record of the person who made the murti. It does not seem to be made of any of the known metals or stones out of which idols are usually made. The priests who are allowed to enter this holy of holies say that the statue is human. It looks different at different times. According to the Agama Shastras it appears in three different forms. In the morning he looks like a child, in the afternoon as an adult and in the evening like an old man. Those who see him in the morning are blessed with good education and long life, those who see him in the afternoon get health and wealth and those who view him in the evening get moksha (salvation). The sanctum sanctorum of all temples is known as the Garbha Griha. This is said to be filled with tremendously powerful vibrations which can be felt even when you stand outside. It is said that many unseen sages and yogis are doing tapas inside and this creates an atmosphere of total desirelessness which is felt by all devotees.

All the requests you have been bottling up for so many days vanish when you actually stand in front of him. According to the chief priest this is an amazing experience that happens to everyone who comes here. The message that is conveyed is that He is the Supreme who knows all your wants. There is no need to enumerate in front of him. Those who surrender will have all their desires taken care of. The Lord has manifested himself in this age of Kali only in order to lead all devotees to salvation.

One of the priests has disclosed that the most sacred place in the temple is a spot that is ten feet in diameter and ten feet away from the main deity. Anyone who stands in that place will be inspired. Therefore only heads of State or extremely influential people who would be able to do great good to the country are allowed to go there.

The murti itself is supposed to have remarkable qualities. First of all even though it looks as if it is standing in the centre of the sanctum, it is actually in the right hand corner of the shrine. The Lord’s hair that hangs at the back is apparently real human hair. It is silky, smooth, and has no knots at any time. Of course there is a story connected with this. When Lord Balaji was living on earth, he lost some of his hair due to some mishap.  A Gandharva Princess named Neela Devi saw this. She immediately cut a portion of her glorious locks and humbly offered it to the Lord. Pleased with her devotion, he accepted her offering. He also declared that anyone who offers his or her hair at his shrine would be blessed. This is why there is a custom amongst devotees to sacrifice their hair at the temple.

Even though the image looks as if it is carved out of stone it seems to be infused with life. Every morning after the abhisheka(ritual bath)  droplets of water like perspiration appear on the image. This has to be wiped off with a silken towel by the priests. On Thursdays when all the ornaments and garments are removed for a special abhisheka the priests say they can feel heat emanating from the murti. It is supposed to maintain a temperature of 110 degrees F. even though the surroundings are cool since the temple is at a height.

The “namam” or tilak that the Lord wears on his forehead is so big that it covers most of his eyes. Only a small portion is seen by us.  The body of the Lord radiates heat as has been said. Therefore it is said that his eyes are even more powerful and no one can withstand the powerful radiation emanating from them. So the eyes are always covered with a namam made of raw camphor powder on all days except Thursdays when a small portion is uncovered. There is also a dot made of camphor on his chin. This is supposed to cover the cut that had been inflicted on him by a devotee previously.

In the Ananda Nilayam which is the sanctum sanctorum, there are four very special saligramas (special stones with the accoutrements of Vishnu found in the Gantaki River in Nepal) and some small saligramas which are placed in a silver vessel at the foot of the Lord. Abhisheka is done regularly to these also.

It is a fact that when camphor green is applied on a stone, it will crack and lines will appear on it. However even though this is applied on a daily basis to the murti, it has no marks or cracks.

Every day the murti is dressed in an exquisite fashion with a gorgeous silk sari draped above and white dhoti below but the fact is that the priests say they have no choice over this. The Lord himself chooses the type of dress and ornaments that he wants to wear on that day!

A huge amount of flowers and garlands and food offerings are also made every day. But all the flowers, ghee, milk, butter-milk, tulsi and so on come from an undisclosed village 20 kilometres away from Thirupati. No outsider is ever taken to this village. Nobody has seen it or visited it. The villagers bring all the offerings.

Another extraordinary thing is that none of the flowers are ever brought out of the sanctum. They are thrown into a water fall that is behind the idol that can never be seen by anyone except the priests. After throwing it, they are not allowed to go to the back of the murti for the rest of the day. Surprisingly these flowers come out fresh and can be seen at a place called Yerpedu that is 20 kilometres away from Thirupathi!

These priests also say that if you put your ear to the back of the murti you can hear the pounding of huge ocean waves breaking on a beach!

The legend goes that the sacred river called Viraja comes from Vaikunta, the celestial abode of Lord Vishnu and flows below the lotus feet of the Lord. The temple well is also believed to be fed by this holy river and has remarkable properties.

Another miracle is connected with the lamps that are placed before the murti. There are no records as to when these lamps were lit and who lit them. But it is a fact that they have been burning for a very long time and no one has ever lit them or extinguished them. It is compared to the light of devotion in the heart of a devotee that can never be put out!

The golden gopuram (shikara) above the Ananda Nilayam is known as the “Ananda Nilaya Vimana”. It is said the Garuda, the eagle vehicle of Lord Vishnu brought this dome from Vaikunta (celestial abode of Vishnu) and placed it there as ordered by the Lord. There is an ingrained statue of Lord Venkateswara on top of the dome which is said to be as powerful and sacred as the main deity inside the sanctum. Those devotees who are unlucky enough not to get darshan of the Lord are said to get the same benefit if they see this statue atop the dome which is visible from outside.

After having darshan of the Lord, devotees deposit their monetary offerings into a huge bin known as a Hundi. It is so huge that one has to climb a couple of steps to deposit money into it. This Hundi has never been shifted from this place since it is believed that the great yantra known as the Sri Chakra has been placed underneath which ensures that it will always be filled. 

The great sage called Ramanucharya, founder of Visishtadvaida (one of the schools of Vedanta) is the one who revised the type of rituals that are conducted daily in the temple. There are many miracles connected with this temple. The most recent one occurred at midnight on the 7th November 1979.  The whole town was rudely woken up by the loud ringing of the bronze bells that hang in front of the deity inside the Ananda Nilayam. The security staff who stood outside did not know how this happened. The main door as well as all the other doors inside had been locked by the priests the previous night as usual after the last puja known as “Ekanta Seva”and witnesses were there to note this. While everyone stood stunned the bells rang for full five minutes and then stopped of their own accord. The only explanation was that the Lord himself had rung the bells.

To know the reason for this we have to revert to the situation that existed in the pilgrim town a few weeks previously. There was an acute water shortage that was affecting everyone. Both reservoirs and wells were almost empty and the administration realised that they would be forced to close the temple for all pilgrims.  Unable to find a solution, the Executive officer who was a devotee went and met a saint called Ganapathy Shastri, who was an adept in the Vedas, who advised him to conduct the yajna known as the “Varuna Japam”. Shastriji told him that the Veda provides a remedy for every problem that human beings have to face in life. Varuna is the God of waters in the Veda. This ritual is advised in the Vedas when there is a drought. Immediately they decided to perform the ritual on the 8th November. However everyone had a doubt if this would really work. The Executive Officer begged Lord Venkatachalapathi to denote his approval by some sign. Thus it happened that at midnight on the 7th a few hours before the commencement of the “Varuna Japam”, the bells rang out loud and clear as if to show His approval. The rituals were completed on the 3rd day but there was not even a cloud in the sky. All of them were walking back from the place where the ritual had been held to the temple when suddenly the skies opened and it simply poured. There was no time for them to even run to the porch. Everyone was drenched. All the lakes and wells were overflowing!!

Many are the miracles that have been reported about this temple but now let me relate the various miracles that happened to me each time I visited the temple. Every visit was a miraculous event. The very first time I went was with some friends while I was studying in Chennai. A group of us had gone up by bus and stood in the queue and had a quick darshan and returned on foot, climbing down the seven hills! It was very strenuous but quite an exhilarating experience. I managed it only through the grace of the Lord. That was the first time I heard the hymn sung to wake him up in the morning called “Venkata Suprabhatam”. I vowed to learn it by heart and have been reciting it every morning to wake up my own little Vanamali Krishna.

The sanctum sanctorum is surrounded by many corridors each used for a different purpose. Every New Year’s Day, the temple opens one of these corridors that goes round the Ananda Nilayam. This is decorated to look like Vaikunta, the abode of Lord Vishnu. People stand for days in a very long queue in order to have this darshan of the Lord. If you want to cut the queue you have to pay an enormous sum of money. I had gone there alone on 31st December and was very anxious to have  darshan on this auspicious day. I knew I would never be able to stand the strain of standing in the queue for hours if not for a day! I certainly did not have the money for buying a ticket! I just prayed to Venkatachalapathi and stood in front of the railings that separated the onlookers from the temple entrance. Believe it or not one of the attendants standing inside the railing suddenly asked me if I’d like to go in. I couldn’t speak but just nodded. He quickly opened the little gate and waved me inside. I jumped in before anyone could stop me and ran inside. Of course I had to join the queue from there but that was a wonderful thing since we passed many beautiful statues and decorations on the way. Every step leading to the sanctorum was a delight since the whole passage had been decorated to resemble Vaikunta, the Lord’s celestial abode.

For the next two days I went and stood at the same spot outside the railings and both these days someone opened the gate for me and I was able to have darshan. The decorations would be kept for three days from the 1st to the 3rd January and people had to wait for three days sometimes in order to see it. On the third evening when I was standing at the railing with copious tears flowing down my cheeks someone asked me, “I have been watching you for the past three days. How have you managed to get in every day without a ticket?”

I could not say a word. I just burst into tears and prostrated in front of the Lord. I did not reason, I did not ask. All I knew was that my heart was bursting with gratitude.

Another time when I went there I was told that anyone who has a bath in the Pushkarini tank at 3 am and went with wet clothes to the temple gate would be let in and they would be allowed to do an “anga pradikshanam” of the Lord in one of the corridors that surround the main shrine. It is normal to do “pradikshana” or circumambulation of the murti in any temple on foot but an “anga pradikshana” is a different thing altogether. We have to do a full body prostration on the ground and roll round the temple with our hands held above our head. After this we would be allowed to enter and have darshan of the Lord. It was December and bitterly cold but I jumped into the lake at 3 am and ran into the temple with my wet clothes and rolled round the sanctum in an ecstasy of devotion and sprinted in and had a beautiful darshan.  My teeth were chattering with cold but I shouted “Govinda! Govinda! and stood before him with tears rolling down my face. I could feel his warmth and grace enveloping me in a warm embrace.

Another time when I went I had taken the cheapest ticket which is something called “Tomalseva” early in the morning. This allows you to stay till the Suprabhatam (song to wake him up) is sung. I had a beautiful darshan that morning but since I was there for 3 days I didn’t know how I could enter the temple the next day.

There is a sort of gallery with steps outside the main gate where we can sit and just watch what is going on. I was sitting there in the morning and suddenly someone came to me and asked, “Would you be interested in attending the “Swayamvara” wedding of Venkateswara with Padmavati?” This is a ritual which is conducted in one of the many halls inside the temple by someone who has made a vow in order to get a good bride/bridegroom for their son/daughter. It is a most expensive ceremony. I couldn’t believe it. My voice was choked so I just nodded my head vigorously. The man took me to the place where the bridal party was setting out with great fanfare. All of them were dressed in most expensive Kanchipuram sarees and wearing exquisite golden jewellery. I was in my usual non-descriptive attire and trotted after them totally over-awed by the magnificence of the scene. I sat in the mandap or hall reserved for the wedding of the Lord with Padmavati. Two special murtis of both of them are kept for this and the whole wedding ceremony was conducted with all pomp. Luckily no one noticed me. Afterwards we were all taken for darshan of the Lord and afterwards to a magnificent wedding repast!!

What can I say of this unique experience? I was totally overawed. How could I thank him for this unique experience? Needless to say I never saw the man who had invited me even though I looked around after everything was over in order to thank him!

The last time I went was about fourteen years ago. Again I had three days on my hands. I went for the morning puja which was the only one I could afford. That evening when I was sitting at my usual spot in the gallery someone approached me and thrust a big parcel into my hands. I turned round to look for the person but again he had disappeared. I opened the parcel and found it was filled with all sorts of prasad that had been offered to the Lord! What can I say? The Thirupathi prasad is very special. The kitchen makes the largest amount of prasad of any temple in India. I would have loved to take a bath in the Puskarini and roll round the temple again to show my gratitude but by that time they had stopped the practice since so many people were taking advantage of it! I had to content myself with prostrating fully again and again in front of the temple from the outside.

It was on this trip that I composed a song to the Lord known as “Giriraja.” I used to roam round the mountainside and I heard the song floating in the wind, whispering in my heart, roaring from the hill tops and filling the whole mountainside with music. These seven hills indeed make up the magic mountain which is the domain of Venkatachalapathi the Lord of Thirupathi! How fortunate I was to have had such experiences there but I’m sure all those who go there have some magical experience of their own to narrate. May His grace flow down the mountain and enrich this poor land of ours that is being racked with internal feuds and factions!

Govinda! Govinda!