Tirupati Balaji A Heartfelt Journey

There is equivalent classical and epigraphic data to the history of the shrine of Lord Sri Venkateswara. All the extreme kingdoms of kings of the southern peninsula have offered revenue and valuable gifts to Lord Sri Venkateswara in this ancient temple. Few of them who are still well known are the Pallavas of Kancheepuram (9th century AD), Cholas of the Thanjavur (a centenary later), Pandyas of Madurai, and the kings and headmen of Vijayanagar from14th to 15th century AD were worshippers of the Lord and they challenged each other in empowering the shrine with rich gifts and contributions.

It was while the Vijayanagar kingdom that the revenues of the temple increased. Krishnadevaraya had idols of himself and his consorts equipped at the portals of the shrine and these idols are still in existence. There is also an idol of Venkatapati Raya in the main shrine. After the slump of the Vijayanagar kingdom, aristocrats and headmen from all portion of the country sustained to pay their revenue and offer gifts to the shrine. The Maratha general whose name was Raghoji Bhonsle used to visit the shrine and later set up fixed revenue for the conduct of prayers in the shrine. He also gifted valuable jewels and precious gifts to the God which also included a large emerald which is still safeguarded in a box termed after the General. Amidst the later kings who have paid large amounts are the kings of Mysore and Gadwal. After the decline of the Hindu Dynasty, the Muslim kings of Karnataka and then the Britishers took control and many of the shrines came under their supervisory and protective authority. During 1843 AD, the East India Company deprived itself of the straight management of non-Christian sites of worship and local religious places. The authority of the temple of Sri Venkateswara and several estates were then assigned to Sri Seva Dossji from the Hatiramji Mutt at Tirumala, and the temple continued to be under the supervision of the Mahants for about a century, until 1933 AD. During 1933, the Madras Legislature passed an exclusive act, which authorized the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Organistion to control and manage a fixed group of shrines in the Tirumala-Tirupati area, through a Commissioner chosen by the Government of Madras.

Sri Venkatachala Mahatmya is mentioned to in several Vedas, of which the most essential are the Varaha Purana and the Bhavishyottara Purana. Most of these extracts recount the divinity and history of the hills surrounding Tirumala and the several teerthams placed on them.

Popularity of the shrine

The shrine attracts nearly 75,000 devotees each day due to its divinity and faith of pilgrims. Tirupatibalaji Darshan Booking is also a factor of increasing number of pilgrims. Non profit trusts are set up whose funds are arranged from the budget and donations from the pilgrims. The acceptance of the shrine can be guessed by its annual budget. The annual income is approximately around INR 10 billion in 2008. Most of its income is borrowed from the contributions in SriVari Hundi.

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