History of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple
Venkateswara Templeis an importantVaishnavitetemple situated in the hill town ofTirumalainTirupati districtof Andhra Pradesh, built by a Tamil king Tondaiman and later expanded and renovated under the Chola and Vijayanagara Empire. The Temple is dedicated to LordVenkateswara,an incarnation ofVishnu,who is believed to have appeared here to save mankind from the trials and troubles ofKali Yuga.The temple is situated at a height of 853 metres on Tirumala Hills which are part of Seshachalam Hills and is constructed in South Indian Tamil Architectural Style.
Medieval history
[edit]The first recorded endowment was made by Pallava queen Samavai in the year 966 CE. She donated many jewels and two parcels of land (one 10 acres and the other 13 acres) and ordered to use the revenues generated from that land to be used for the celebration of major festivals in the temple.[1]ThePallava dynasty(9th century), theChola dynasty(10th century), and Vijayanagarapradhans(14th and 15th centuries) were committed devotees of Lord Venkateswara. The temple gained most of its current wealth and size under theVijayanagara Empire,with the donation of diamonds and gold.[2]In 1517, Vijayanagara EmperorKrishnadevaraya,on one of his many visits to the temple, donated gold and jewels, enabling theAnanda Nilayam(inner shrine) roofing to be gilded. After the decline of Vijayanagara Empire, leaders from states such as theKingdom of Mysoreand theGadwal Samsthanamworshiped as pilgrims and gave ornaments and valuables to the temple.[3]
Modern history
[edit]After the dusk ofVijayanagara Empire,the temple went into the hands of Golconda in July 1656 and then it was under the French for a short period of time and under Nawab of Carnatic till 1801 CE.
11th to 16th century
[edit]Ramanujacharyavisited Tirupati thrice. On the first occasion, he spent a year with his uncle, Tirumalai Nambi, learning the esoteric meaning ofRamayana.His second visit was for settling a dispute that arose between theSaivitesandVaishnavitesregarding the nature of the image set up in the Tirumala temple. During the last visit, which was at an advanced old age of 102 years, the acharya installed the image ofGovindarajaand laid the foundations of the present town of Tirupati.[2]Ramanuja streamlined the rituals at Tirumala temple according toVaikanasaAgamatradition and introduced the recitation ofNaalayira Divya Prabandham.He also set up Tirupati JeeyarMuttin 1119AD in consultation with Tirumalai Ananthalwan to institutionalize service to the Lord and supervise the temple rituals. The Jeeyars to this day ensure that the rituals ordained by Ramanuja are observed.[4][5][6]
In 1417 AD, Madhavadasa, a resident of Chandragiri, constructed Tirumamani Mandapam which is present in front of Bangaru Vakili of the Garbhagriha.[7]
In 1535 AD, Pedda Tirumalacharya renovatedTemple TankandAdivaraha shrine.[7]
19th century
[edit]With the advent of British during the early 19th century, the management of the temple passed to hands ofEast India Company,who accorded special status to temple and avoided interference in temple activities.[8]Madras government passed Regulation seven of 1817, which passed the temple to Board of Revenue through collector of North Arcot District.[8]In 1821, Bruce of England had drawn rules for the management of Temple which is referred to asBruce's Code.[8]
In 1843 theEast India Companytransferred the Administration of Temple along withother Temples in TirupatitoMahantsofHathiramji Muth,who acted as Vicaranakartas.
20th century
[edit]The Temple was under the rule of Mahants for six generations until 1933 whenTirumala Tirupati Devasthanamswas formed as a result of the TTD Act in 1933.[9]The Act of 1933 was superseded by Madras Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Act of 1951.[10]Again in 1966, the temple was placed under direct control ofAndhra pradeshState Endowments Department, with Andhra Pradesh Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments act.[10]In 1979, act of 1966 was rolled back with new Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams act, where temple administration was vested to a committee consisting of Executive officer, Chairman and two other members nominated byGovernment of Andhra Pradesh.[10]
Epigraphical records
[edit]This Temple bears on its walls several Tamil inscriptions which are of historical, cultural and linguistic importance. The number of inscriptions on the Hill Temple and in the temples of Lower Tirupati and Tiruchanur exceed one thousand. There is evidence to suggest that many early tamil inscriptions on the walls of the temples have disappeared beyond recovery. As many as 640 inscriptions are found engraved on the walls of the temple. They are published by theTirumala Tirupati Devasthanamsalong with the inscriptions found in other related temples in and around Tirupati. All the inscriptions are mainly in Tamil in the wall of sherin has more inscription script than other mentioned languages.Kannada,Sanskrit,Tamil,Telugu.[11]
Additionally, in the temple, there is a unique collection of about 3,000 copper plates on which theTelugu SankirtanasofTallapaka Annamacharyaand his descendants are inscribed. This collection forms a valuable source of material for a historical linguist in Telugu apart from its importance to musicologists.[citation needed]
Under the patronage of almost all important dynasties of South India, this sacred Temple of Tirumala enjoyed full benefits and glory. ThePallavas,theCholas,thePandyas,Kadavarayas,Yadavarayas,Telugu Cholas,Telugu Pallavas, Vijayanagara kings (Sangama, Saluva and Tuluva lines) have left the marks of their patronage and endowments on the walls of the temples of Tirumala and Tirupati.[12]
References
[edit]- ^Sharma, Arvind; Young, Katherine K., eds. (1999).Feminism and World Religions.State University of New York. p. 48.ISBN0-7914-4023-0.
- ^abDr. N.Ramesan (1981).The Tirumala Temple.Tirumala: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.
- ^"Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams: Temple History".Archived fromthe originalon 12 April 2012.Retrieved15 July2011.
- ^TTD News."Pontiffs Jeeyangars, the Ombudsman of Tirumala Temple rituals".Archived fromthe originalon 24 October 2021.
- ^"Voice of a mighty philosophy".The Hindu.25 March 2010.
- ^Narasimhan, T. a (16 June 2016)."He streamlined the rituals at Tirumala temple".The Hindu.
- ^abKameswara Rao, V. (1986).Temples in and Around Tirupati.
- ^abcV.K, Bhaskara Rao (1992).Organisational and Financial Management of Religious Institutions: With Special Reference to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).Deep and Deep Publications. pp. 52, 53.ISBN81-7100-441-5.
- ^Koutha, Nirmala Kumari (1 January 1998).History of the Hindu Religious Endowments in Andhra Pradesh.Northern Book Centre. p. 124.ISBN81-7211-085-5.
- ^abcKoutha, Nirmala Kumari (1 January 1998).History of the Hindu Religious Endowments in Andhra Pradesh.Northern Book Centre. p. 136.ISBN81-7211-085-5.
- ^Sastry, Sadhu Subrahmanya (1930).Report on the Inscriptions of the Devasthanam Collection with Illustrations, Issued Under the Authority of Sri Mahant Prayagadasji Varu.Printed at Tirupati Sri Mahant's Press.
- ^"Tirumala Tirupati Devastanamulu".Tirumala.org. Archived fromthe originalon 6 August 2002.Retrieved17 June2013.
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