Tirumala | |
|---|---|
 A view of theMaha Dvaram and theAnanda Nilayam Garbha Griha of theVenkateshvara Temple | |
.svg)  Tirumala Location in Andhra Pradesh, India | |
| Coordinates:13°40′51″N79°21′02″E / 13.680916°N 79.350600°E /13.680916; 79.350600 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Andhra Pradesh |
| District | Tirupati |
| Mandal | Tirupati Urban |
| Government | |
| • Type | Tirupati Municipal Corporation |
| Area | |
• Total | 32.21 km2 (12.44 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 976 m (3,202 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 30,035 |
| • Density | 932.5/km2 (2,415/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Telugu |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 517 504 |
| Telephone code | +91–877 |
| Vehicle registration | AP-03, AP-39 |
Tirumala is aHindureligious temple town inTirupati district of theIndian state ofAndhra Pradesh. It is one of the neighbourhoods of theTirupati city. The town is a part ofTirupati Urban Development Authority and located inTirupati (urban) mandal ofTirupati revenue division.[4] The town is strictlyvegetarian.[5] It is a hill town whereTirumala Venkateswara Temple is located, a popular shrine ofVishnu. Vishnu is believed to reside here with his full power, as inVaikuntha, and thus the place is also called 'Bhuloka Vaikuntha'.[6]
The word Tirumala is ofTamil origin. The term "Tiru" means sacred or holy, and "Mala" meansmountain orhill.[7] The prefix "Tiru" (or "Thiru") is a widely recognisedTamil word and is used in many South Indian place names.[8][9]
Tirumala is located 980 metres (3,200 ft) above sea level and covers an area of approximately 26.8 square kilometres (10.33 sq mi). Surrounding the hills are seven peaks of theSeshachalam range ofEastern Ghats namely Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabadri, Narayanadri, and Venkatadri. The temple ofVenkateswara[10] is on the seventh peak (Venkatadri).
At the 12 km (7.5 mi) point on theTirupati – Tirumala Ghat road, there is a major discontinuity ofstratigraphic significance that represents a period of remarkable serenity in the geological history of theEarth. This is referred to as theEparchaean Unconformity. Thisunconformity separates the NagariQuartzite of theProterozoic from thegranite of theArchean, representing a time gap of 800Mya.[11] In 2001, theGeological Survey of India (GSI) declared the Eparchaean Unconformity to be one of the 26 "Geological Monuments of India".
Silathoranam, anatural arch and a distinctive geological wonder, is located in Tirumala Hills at a distance of 1 km (0.62 mi) from theTirumala Venkateswara Temple. The arch measures 8 m (26 ft) in width and 3 m (9.8 ft) metres in height and is eroded out of quartizite of Cuddapah Supergroup of Middle to Upper Proterozoic (1600 to 570 Mya) by weathering agents such as water and wind.[12]
Tirumala has a humid subtropical climate designated Cwa, with dry winters under theKöppen climate classification. As the hill shrine is situated amidst the hills, the temperature will go below 10 degreesCelsius in winter. Summers are not as hot here, especially compared to Tirupati. The southwest monsoon season starts from June, but rains are not heavy. Occasionally, thunderstorms form and downpours may persist for hours. Pertaining toorographic relief, the northeast monsoon remains active over the region for 2 months. It causes flooding. The highest 24-hour rainfall on record was 459 mm (18.1 in) on 23 November 2005, followed by 307 mm (12.1 in) on 9 November 2015.
| Climate data for Tirumala (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 31.1 (88.0) | 33.4 (92.1) | 35.8 (96.4) | 37.0 (98.6) | 37.6 (99.7) | 36.8 (98.2) | 34.0 (93.2) | 34.0 (93.2) | 35.4 (95.7) | 30.4 (86.7) | 29.8 (85.6) | 27.4 (81.3) | 37.6 (99.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 24.0 (75.2) | 27.0 (80.6) | 30.6 (87.1) | 32.3 (90.1) | 33.3 (91.9) | 30.6 (87.1) | 29.0 (84.2) | 28.0 (82.4) | 28.2 (82.8) | 26.4 (79.5) | 24.3 (75.7) | 22.9 (73.2) | 28.2 (82.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 14.0 (57.2) | 15.0 (59.0) | 17.1 (62.8) | 20.5 (68.9) | 22.1 (71.8) | 21.7 (71.1) | 20.9 (69.6) | 20.7 (69.3) | 20.1 (68.2) | 18.9 (66.0) | 17.4 (63.3) | 15.6 (60.1) | 18.6 (65.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 7.3 (45.1) | 8.0 (46.4) | 8.6 (47.5) | 15.0 (59.0) | 15.8 (60.4) | 13.6 (56.5) | 15.2 (59.4) | 13.0 (55.4) | 17.2 (63.0) | 12.4 (54.3) | 11.6 (52.9) | 7.5 (45.5) | 7.3 (45.1) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 5.3 (0.21) | 5.6 (0.22) | 7.2 (0.28) | 16.7 (0.66) | 64.9 (2.56) | 95.4 (3.76) | 107.4 (4.23) | 157.3 (6.19) | 112.2 (4.42) | 216.9 (8.54) | 292.9 (11.53) | 147.8 (5.82) | 1,229.8 (48.42) |
| Average rainy days | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 5.6 | 7.0 | 7.7 | 6.9 | 9.9 | 10.3 | 4.7 | 57.7 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%)(at 17:30IST) | 76 | 65 | 55 | 61 | 59 | 67 | 69 | 71 | 72 | 80 | 84 | 84 | 70 |
| Source:India Meteorological Department[13][14] | |||||||||||||
In ancient literature,Tirupati is mentioned as Adi Varaha Kshetra. ThePuranas associate the site withVaraha, one of theDashavatara ofVishnu. In theVaraha Purana, Venkatadri is believed to be a part ofMount Meru, which was brought on to the earth from Vishnu's abodeVaikuntham by his mountGaruda. The seven peaks represent the seven heads ofAdishesha or Seven doors of Vaikuntha.[15]
As of 2001[update] Indiacensus,[16] Tirumala had a population of 7,741. Males constitute 52 percent of the population and females 48 percent. Tirumala had an average literacy rate of 72.8 percent, higher than the national average of 59.5 percent. The male literacy rate was 57.1 percent and the female rate was 42.9 percent. In Tirumala, 11 percent of the population was under six years of age.Telugu is the major language.Hinduism is the only religion in Tirumala.[17]
The town of Tirumala is strictlyvegetarian. Consumption of non-vegetarian food,alcohol, andtobacco products is strictly prohibited in Tirumala, and smuggling any of these is considered a serious offence.[5]Dhotis andSarees are the traditional popular attire. The practices of tonsure and using tilaka are popular among devotees ofVenkateswara.
Srivari Brahmotsavams is the most important festival in Tirumala that is celebrated every year during September/October and receives lakhs of devotees over a short span of a nine days.[18][19] The city celebrates all majorHindu festivals includingSankranti,[20]Ugadi[21] and so forth.Vaikuntha Ekadashi, the day on which it is believed that Vaikuntha Dvarams will be opened, is celebrated in Tirumala.[22]Rathasapthami is another festival, celebrated during February, when Venkateswara processional deity, (Malayappa) is taken in a procession around the temple on seven differentvahanas from early morning to late night.[23][24]
Tirupati is known for theTirupati laddu. It is theprasadam at theVenkateswara Temple, Tirumala. Only theTirumala Tirupati Devasthanams manufactures and sells this product.[25][26] Consumption of non-vegetarian food, alcohol, smoking and chewing tobacco are strictly banned, and those who disregard the law are arrested.[27]
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams established Sri Venkateswara Museum, one at Tirumala and the other at Tirupati. It has a wonderful collection of Tirupati temple architecture and historical artefacts, such as ancient weaponry, pooja items and idols. It has a comprehensive photo gallery that gives a unique insight into the Tirupati region's culture and traditions. It also boasts a meditation centre.[28]
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Venkateswara Temple is an abode ofVenkateswara situated in Tirumala. It is also known as Tirumala Temple.[29]Natural Arch is located north of the temple, which measures 8 m (26 ft) wide and 3 m (9.8 ft) high and was naturally formed from the quartz.Srivari Padamulu (the footprints of Lord) are believed to be the footprints of Venkateswara formed when he first stood on Tirumala Hills.[30]Papavinasanam is a waterfall flowing from a tributary of the Swarnamukhi River. It also has a temple where seven lion-headed channels open from a height for deities to bathe below them. A temple dedicated to goddessGanga is located near the enclosure.Akaasa Ganga is another natural waterfall in Tirumala.[31]
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There are two paths to travel on foot from Tirupati to Tirumala. These paths are calledSopanamargas. Devotees ritually take this path to reach Tirumala on foot from Tirupati. Both the paths are completely roofed and passes through seven hills which are part ofSeshachalam Hills.[32]
Tirumala can be accessed by road from Alipiri. The distance is 23 kilometres (14 mi). There are two roads from Alipiri to Tirumala, one each dedicated to up and down traffic. Thestate government-ownedAndhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) operates frequentSaptagiri andSaptagiri Express buses from Tirupati and Alipiri and also from nearby places.Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) runs free buses for transit within Tirumala.
The nearest railway station is at Tirupati, about 26 kilometres (16 mi) from Tirumala.Tirupati Main railway station is one of the major railway station in theSouth Central Railway zone of theIndian Railways, providing rail connectivity to major parts of India. It is under the jurisdiction ofGuntakal railway division.[34]Renigunta Junction is another important railway station which lies on theChennai –Mumbai rail corridor is 38 kilometres (24 mi) away from Tirumala.
The nearest airport isTirupati Airport, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Tirumala. It is a domestic and International airport with direct flights toVisakhapatnam andNew Delhi. The nearest major airport is theChennai International Airport, located about 162 kilometres (101 mi) from Tirumala.
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| History |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Deities | ||
| Festivals | ||
| Geography and sites | ||
| Architecture | ||
| TTD | ||
| People related to the temple | ||
| See also | ||
| Anantapur |      | |
|---|---|---|
| Chittoor | ||
| East Godavari |
| |
| Guntur | ||
| Kadapa | ||
| Krishna | ||
| Kurnool | ||
| Nellore |
| |
| Prakasam | ||
| Srikakulam | ||
| Tirupati |
| |
| Visakhapatnam | ||
| Vizianagaram | ||
| West Godavari | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
