TIRUPATI CITY TRAVEL Guide
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Tirupati City is located in
the southeastern part of Andhra Pradesh State. It lies
about 152-km northwest of Chennai in the Palkonda Hills.
Tirupati is known as the abode of the Hindu god
Venkateshvara (also spelt as 'Venkatesvara'), "Lord of
Seven Hills". About 10-km northwest of Tirupati, at an
elevation of 750m, is the sacred hill of Tirumala, which
was considered so holy that before 1870 non-Hindus were
not permitted to ascend it.
Back To History:
The Ruling Dynasties. It was developed mainly by the
contributions made by kings during their rule. Almost
all the kings from great dynasties of the southern
peninsula have paid homage to Lord Sri Venkateswara in
this ancient shrine. The Pallavas of Kancheepuram (9th
century AD), the Cholas of Thanjavur (a century later),
the Pandyas of Madurai, and the kings and chieftains of
Vijayanagar (14th - 15th century AD) were devotees of
the Lord and they competed with one another in endowing
the temple with rich offerings and contributions. During
the rule of the Vijayanagar dynasty contributions made
to the temple increased enormously. Krishnadevaraya had
statues of himself and his consorts installed at the
portals of the temple, and these statues can be seen to
this day. There is also a statue of Venkatapati Raya in
the main temple.
The decline of the Vijayanagar dynasty did not affect
the contributions to this place as many nobles and
chieftains from all parts of the country continued to
pay their homage and offer gifts to the temple. Raghoji
Bhonsle, the Maratha general, visited the temple and set
up a permanent endowment for the conduct of worship in
the temple. He presented valuable jewels to the Lord,
including a large emerald, which is still preserved in a
box named after the General. Among the later rulers who
have endowed large amounts are the rulers of Mysore and
Gadwal. After the fall of Hindu kingdoms, came the
Muslim rulers of Karnataka and after their downfall the
British took over, and many of the temples came under
their supervisory and protective control.
In 1843 AD, the East India Company divested itself of
the direct management of non-Christian places of worship
and native religious institutions
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