History of
Tirumala
The Pallavas of Kanchipuram (9th century AD)
,Cholas of Tanjore (10 century) , Pandyas of mathura and Vijayanagara pradhans
(14th & 15th centuries) were committed devotees of Lord Venkateswara. The
statues of Sri Krishna Devaraya and his spouse stand in the premises of the
temple. After the decline of Vijayanagara Empire, kings from various states
like the king of Mysore and Gadwal, worshiped the lord as pilgrims and gifted
various ornaments and valuables to the temple. Raghoji Bhonsle, the
Maharastrian commander visited the temple and made a permanent arrangement
regarding the regular pujas to be done to the Lord.
In 1843 the temple gave up administrative
authority of Venkateswara Temple along with the temples in the village to the
head of Hatthimji monastery in Tirumala. Till 1933 the administration of the
temple had been wielded by the head of that monastery, Hathiram Mahantha.
In 1933 the Madras government appointed a
Commission to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam through a special statutory
authority to run the administration of the temple. In 1951 another Hindu
Religious and endowment Act was made which felicitated the appointment of an
executive officer and Board of trustees and they run the administration. The
executive officers of this institution in the South have been maintaining
administration.
Epic Importance of Tirumala
Hills
The venkatam hill is believed to be a part of
the celestial mount meru brought to the earth from vaikuntam by garuda (Lord's
vehicle),say the puranas.The Hills are said to be a manifestation of Adi Sesha
(the cosmic serpent).The Seven hills of the Tirumala are the said to represent
the Seven hoods of Adi Sesha.
Many Alvars , Vaishnavacharyas and Saints have
praised the Tirumala Hill with great devotion. Tirumala Mambi, a descendent of
the great ascetic Narada, spent his whole life in serving the Lord.
References to the tirumala also found in several
of Puranas. Tirumala is one of the 108 sacred shrines of the Sri Vaishanava
tradition.According to the Puranas, Lord Vishnu stayed on the earth for some
time in the Avatar of Swetha Varaham and rose out of pushkarini as Swayambhuva.
His spouse Lakshmi Devi appeared in Thirucharnur. This Swwtha Varaha Avatharam
was installed in the temple situated to the west of Swamy Pushkarni. The great
religious leader Ramanujacharya visited this shrine on a pilgrimage and systematised
the process of worship in accordance with the SriVaishnava that continues to
date.
Reaching Tirumala by
foot
Many pilgrims prefer to go on foot from the
Tirupati to Tirumala to have the Darshan of the Lord. It is also part of
Sankalpam (commitment).
For those who would like to climb the hills to
Tirumala to fulfil a vow, there are two well-laid stone footpaths leading to
Tirumala. These paths are called sopanamargas. The more ancient of the two
sopanamargas which starts from Alipiri at the foot of the hills, is about 11 km
in length, and is the commonly-used route. The other sopanamarga from
Chandragiri, though only about 6 km in length, is a more difficult route. It is
mainly used by the local people and traders.
Several facilities are provided to the piligrims
who walk up the hills to Tirumala, by the administration.
* Free transport of the Pilgrims
luggage from the bottom of the hill to the Top.
* Well cemented steps with hand
rails for support.
* Supply of potable water along
the way.
* Toilets for both ladies and
Gents.
* Well lit path way and security
guards to ensure safety of the pilgrims.
* Small restaurants along the way
for refreshments and snacks.
The pilgrims have to get to Alipiri toll gate
,where the steps to the Tirumala begins.This is 4 K.Ms away from the railway
station.They can then deposit their luggage at the T.T.D transport office and
obtain a receipt.On reaching the top, they can redeem their luggage after
producing this receipt. The foot way is 16 Kilometers in distance.It takes
roughly between 3 to 4 hours to reach Tirumala by this way.
The natural beauty along the way is breath
taking.Though the steps at the start are a bit steep, the rest of the way is
quite even and one wouldn't need to strain much.All along the way one can see
pilgrims of every age climbing the steps with equal gusto. There are small
mandapams along the way where pilgrims can take rest.Though the journey is
physically tiring, it is a spiritually satifying one.
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation
(APSRTC) runs free buses from the Tirupati Railway station to Alipiri, with a
frequency of 30 minutes. Pilgrims who intend to walk up the hills to Tirumala
can use these buses.
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Devotional activities for the Lord
Tonsure and Tirumala go together. Devotees vow and offer their hair to the Lord - a symbolic sacrifice of the ego. Tonsure is done at Kalyana Katta, a massive four floor building operating round the clock. Fee for tonsure near the cottages is Rs.10/- per head. Tonsure is followed by a holy dip in the Pushkarini and the devotees then proceed to the Temple for darshan. * Tonsuring (Getting your head shaved) The objective behind tonsuring (shaving one's head for the Lord) is to demonstrate that he/she completely surrenders his/her ego at the feet of the Lord. Pilgrims can have their heads tonsured at the Kalyanakatta (opposite the Annanadanam Complex). There are seventeen sub-centers for tonsuring. Pilgrims can also request to be tonsured at the cottages where they are staying. * Walking up the Hills Many pilgrims walk up the hills to fulfill vows they have taken, for which Tirumala - Tirupati Devsthanam has constructed a footpath from Alipiri to Tirumala. It takes approximately two and a half hours to walk up the hill. * Angapradakshinam Angapradakshinam is when pilgrims lie prostrate, and then roll around the temple, chanting the Lord's name. The objective is to show their devotion to the Lord, and thank Him for protecting them. It is performed in the Vimana Pradakshinam, one of the pathways around the temple. Pilgrims who wish to undertake the Angapradakshinam have to take a dip in the Swami Pushkarini, and reach the Main Temple Complex by 0200 hrs (through a special queue that starts from the PPC Sheds). Angapradakshinam is generally restricted to the weekends (Saturdays and Sundays). It is also restricted when there is heavy in flux of pilgrims. * Tulabharam Tulabharam is offering one's weight in coins or other items such as sugar, candy according to one's vows to the Lord. Tulabharam is generally performed for children. Pilgrims can weigh their offerings in the temple complex. The coins can be deposited in the temple hundi and other items can be handed over to the temple authorities present. The queue for Tulabharam is the regular queue that starts from the Vaikuntham Queue Complex or PC Queue Complex. * Niluvudopidi Niluvudopidi is offering to the Lord the ornaments, etc., that one is wearing when one takes the vow. The objective is to sacrifice one's belongings to the Lord, with the philosophy 'what is mine is the Lord's'. 
Sri Vaari Prasadam
In previous days rice prasadam was offered Lord Venkateswara as Naivedyam. It was called as ’Manoharam’. Rice powder and jaggery’s juice was mixed and prasadam was made. There was much patronage from devotees for this prasadam. There was much patronage from devotees for this prasadam. The preparation of kondantha (just like hill) laddu started in a funny way. In 1940 the puja , Lord Venkateswara’s Nithya kalyanam started. As per Hindu custom Laddu will be served in marriage lunch / dinner in ever body’s house. As per the custom , Tirupathi Tirumala Devasthanam(TTD) management Laddus were prepared with sugar and offered to Swamy . From 1943 the laddus were offered as prasadam for those participated in Kalyanothsavam. The laddus were prepared of cashew, Elachi etc. The prasadam was distributed once to devotees who visited the temple the temple on Saturdays. Later the management of the temple felt that it was not fair to distribute the same type of laddus to both participating in Kalyanamahotsavam and for those in Dharma Darsanam. Big size laddus were given to those participated in Kalyanamahotsavam. There was demand from devotees that should be offered for sale Due to this demand sale of laddus started daily. From that time Lord Venkateswara’s laddus are getting unprecedented liking from devotees. Though there was change in sizes and tastes of laddus no difference in sales is observed. That is the staunch belief of devotees. Mirasi System in the starting : In the initial starting for preparation and supervision of laddu prasadams the Mirasi’s system was there. Those who were preparing laddus in the kitchen (Potu) were called as Gamekar Mirasis.Out of the lot of 51 laddus 11 laddus were given to Mirasi Brahmin families. TTD management went to courts upto supreme court on Mirasi system and after a long fight succeeded. Mirasi system was abolished. The total rights on laddus were achieved by TTD. In the kitchen Prasadams were prepared using fire wood. From 1984 consumption of gas was started . During Mirasi period 200 to 300 people were working. At present the staff of TTD kitchen (Potu) are only about150 . Previously only 65000 to 75000 laddus were prepared. This number of laddus was less than half of the demand from devotees. Another kitchen was started by floating tenders. There also another 65000 to 70000 laddus are prepared and the demand from devotees is met. On special occasions like UGADI the staff of kitchen (Potu) prepare special laddus and offer to God. Till now the biggest laddu offered to Lord Venkateswara was of 32 Kgs weight. The list of ingredients and the proportion in which they are to be used is called Dittam. six times changes were made in Dittam. At present the cost of preparation of each laddu is 13 Rs. Though many modern methods were implemented in the speedy and quality preparation of laddus ,they have not yielded good results. Some old techniques are also still followed. Problem of storing laddus: Apart from preparation of laddus ,storage of laddus is a real problem. As Tirumala is a cold place , the humidity in air is high . Laddu can not be stored for long time. Due to heavy demand laddus are sent to sales counters immediately after preparation. In the kitchen of old times built in the temple laddus preparation is going on till now. This is also causing inconvenience. TTD is studying the feasibility of shifting the kitchen and changes to improve the quality. Whatever may be the actions of managing committee of TTD , people want tasty laddus. The important responsibility of TTD is to tasty laddu with quality that remains as a sweet memory to Devotees. Laddu, or Ladoo, is one of the most important offering and prasadam given to devotees at the Tirumala Tirupati Lord Venkateswara Temple. Tirupati Laddu is a spherical-shaped sweet made of flour and sugar. In fact, Tirupati and the huge laddus are synonymous. It is a customary duty of a devotee returning from Tirupati Balaji Temple to distribute ‘laddu’ as prasadam to his neighbors, friends and relatives. Some quick facts about Tirupati Laddu * Around 250,000 laddus are made daily. * One laddu is given free to each devotee; the number of daily devotees that visit the temple is around 75,000. * A devotee can buy extra two laddus . * The revenue from the sale of laddu annually is more than 15 million rupees. * Each laddu weighs around 100gms and is huge when compared with the normal laddu found in shops. * There is a super huge Tirupati Laddu known as Kalyana Laddu and it weighs around 500gms – ½ a kilogram. * Single largest laddu made is said to have weighed 32 kg. * The tradition of Tirupati Laddu is nearly 300 years old. * It is prepared by special hereditary priests known as archakas in special temple kitchen known as ‘potu’. * Ingredients used in Tirupati Laddu are Besan flour (kadalai mavu), Sugar, Cashew nuts, Cardamom, Ghee, Oil, Sugar candy, Raisins and Almonds. On a day around 5000 kg of Besan flour is used. Sugar around 10000 kg. Cashew nuts around 600 kg. Cardamom 150 kg Ghee 300 liters Sugar candy 400 kg Raisins 540 kg * The ingredients are bought at the auction at the Commodities and Spices Exchange in Kochi. 
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