Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala

13.68318479.348412Coordinates: 13° 40′ 59.5″ N, 79° 20′ 54.3″ E

Tirumala Tirupati (Telugu తిరుమల తిరుపతి) is a major Hindu temple in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh near Tirupati, attracting millions of pilgrims annually. It is dedicated to Venkateshvara, who is considered a form of the god Vishnu.

The traditional belief is that the stone statue of Shri Venkateshvara - the most important deity of the temple - is not a man-made statue but a "self-created" statue in which the God has manifested himself. Every Friday the Abhishekha ceremony (holy bath) is performed. The statue is ritually bathed; after the bath the deity is rubbed with oil. Part of the daily ritual is the donning of robes (Alankarasaranam). The offering of food to the deity is called Naivedya. Only Arachakas (priests) are allowed to be present in the sanctum during this process. The cooked food is then distributed to the pilgrims as Prasada. Most of the day is reserved for darshan, where pilgrims approach the statue to pray to God and ask for blessings.

The spiritual background of the festivals and rituals celebrated in Tirumala can be found in the teachings of Ramanuja, an important representative of Vishnuism, as well as in other sacred writings of Hinduism. Especially the Puranas (see e.g. Padma Purana and Narada Purana) contain extensive descriptions of the origin of the temple and the appearance of the image figure Venkateshvara, as well as its outstanding importance. The bathing, feeding and dressing of deities does not come from the world of folk religion, as is sometimes erroneously assumed, but is detailed in the classical Vedic scriptures such as the comprehensive standard work "Hari Bhakti Vilas". The temple also offers a rich array of Sanskrit recitations for the pilgrim interested in classical texts.

Tirupati is the most visited pilgrimage site in the world after Mecca. The religious events and their officials are funded by voluntary donations. Many pilgrims have their hair shorn and donate the hair for sale to wigmakers worldwide. Church taxes are not collected. Pilgrims make large donations, often small bills and coins. These donations are meticulously sorted in the temple administration. The temple visitor can observe this as these rooms are glassed in. For western travellers there are no restrictions - concerning the access to the temples - as otherwise often in South India. This is due to the traditionally rather open and tolerant attitude of the Vaisnava tradition in Sri-sampradaya towards birth differences of all kinds. The Tirupati temple is still run by priests of the millennia-old Sri Vaishnava tradition, following Ramanuja, who advocated a universal love of God that must be openly accessible to all, regardless of caste, race or nationality.