Indian Talent, Global Content
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Indian Talent, Global Content |
January 2009: What's in the breeze |
Tirupati is One of the Richest Temples in the World and the Most Frequented Hindu Pilgrimage Destination
A couple of weeks ago my husband and I went on a pilgrimage to Tirupati - the holy abode of Lord Srinivasa or Balaji. Tirupati is a town in the Chitoor district of Andhra Pradesh. It is reputed to be one of the richest temples in the world and is also the most frequented by all Hindus. It was about a six-hour bus journey from Bangalore to Tirumala. We stayed at a hotel and boarded a bus to the Tirumala Hills early the next morning. Midway we stopped to take a dip in the holy spring, Pushkarini, before proceeding to Tirumala. According to tradition there are more than 108 sacred tirthas at Tirumala hills. Swami Pushkarini, Kumara Dhara Tirtha and Tumburu Tirtha are a few of them. It is believed that a dip in these springs would save one from the cycle of birth and death. On our way we saw the holy shrine, with its summit of seven peaks, standing amidst lush greenery atop a hill. Lord Balaji is also known as the Lord of Seven Hills. Legends say that when the Dvaparayuga ended and the Kaliyuga began, Lord Vishnu manifested himself in the form of Lord Venkateswara on the Vengadam hills, popularly called the Tirumala Hills. This was supposedly to give redemption to the devotees of Kaliyuga by his Darshan itself. The benefits acquired by a pilgrimage to Tirupati are also mentioned in the puranas. Brahmotsavam is the annual festival of Tirupati, which attracts devout pilgrims from all over the world. It falls in the month of January. Vaikunta Ekadasi is another important festival in Tirupati. Legends say that a devotee will go directly to heaven if he visits Tirupati on Vaikunta Ekadasi. In Tirupati we found a lot of devotees with clean-shaven heads. We learnt later that people vow to tonsure their heads if their prayers are answered. The sight of the scores of tonsured heads would have reformed any atheist instantly! We stood in the Vaikuntam Q complex for nearly 6 hours for the Darshan. But the wait did not seem that long thanks to the airy waiting rooms and the refreshments sold all along the complex. The much-awaited darshan was nothing short of a soul-stirring experience. Much to our dismay we were pushed aside quickly to give way to the other devotees behind us. Later we waited in another queue to get our 'ladoo prasadam'. The yummy sweet was well worth the wait and we ended up buying some for friends back home. On our way back we visited the Govindaraja Swamy Temple, Tiruchanoor and Sri Kalahasti. The pilgrimage did us a world of good. It helped us soothe our weary selves and recharged our drained batteries. Tirupati with its soothing aura continues to beckon us and we hope to return there very soon. Chillibreeze's disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. Out of 5 “chilies”, our editorial team gave this article... Chillibreeze writers can write travel articles about any destination in India or abroad. Contact us for your content requirements.
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