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''This article is about the town of Tirumala-Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh , India . For the article about the famous Hindu temple in it, see Tirumala Venkateswara Temple . For the butterflies named Thirumalai, see Tirumala (genus) .''
Tirupathi is a temple town in Chittoor District in the India n State of Andhra Pradesh . It is located at the foot hills of Tirumalai . It is also the birthplace of a great man named Druva Kota. The town owes its existence to the sacred temple situated on the Tirumala Hills. Tirumala is the abode of Lord Venkateshwara , one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu , located atop Seshachala hills often called as "''Yaelu Malai''" or "Yaedu Kondalu" (seven hills). The Temple Of Lord Venkateshwara is the richest Hindu temple and the second most visited religious center in the world following the Vatican . The town is also home to Sri Venkateswara University , one of the three major universities in Andhra Pradesh. Although, Tirupati has been a city for many years, the Andhra Pradesh state government had not recognized it officially until recently. Effective from March 2, 2007, the city is a municipal corporation not a municipality. ETYMOLOGY The word ''Thirupathi'' means ''the Lord of Lakshmi '' and the word ''Tirumalai'' means ''Mountain of highness'' in Tamil .Thirumalai is called as Thirumala in Telugu. ''Thirumagal'' means Lakshmi, ''Pathi'' means ''husband'' or ''king'', and ''Malai'' means ''hill''. Within Vaishnava tradition the temple is considered as one of the 108 most sacred temples throughout India, collectively known as 'Tirupathis'.Since Thirumalai and Thirupathi have passed away from the possession of Tamil People to Telugu People ,Thirumalai is mentioned as Tirumala officially. HISTORY '' The Sangam Literature of Tamil such as Silapadikaram and Satanar's Manimekalai , dated between 500 B.C to 300 A.D, mentions Thiruvengadam (now named Tirupati) as the northernmost frontier of the Tamil Kingdoms. It is believed that it was "Aadhi Varaha Kshetra" (the ancient site of Varaha) mentioned in Indian literature dating during the Mauryan and Gupta regimes. The identity of the deity was disputed until Ramanuja , the famous Vaishnava scholar of the 12th century, declared it to be of Vishnu. K. Jamandas argues that the site was originally a Buddhist shrine, though this remains a minority view. The site was an established center by the 5th century A.D, and the Alvars (Vaishnava Saint s) belonging to the Bhakti movement in Dravidian land sung in praise of Venketeswara. Its significance in Southern Vaishnavite tradition was at the time next only to Srirangam . The temple was richly endowed by the kings of various dynasties thus adding to its current reputation as the richest and most opulent temple in the world. It was supported by Chola s, later by Hoysala s, the Vijayanagaras . Krishna Deva Raya of Vijayanagara led the temple to great popularity by donating gold and other ornaments for the temple and constructing extended shrines. The place of Chandragiri, presently a village near Tirupati, was used as the secondary capital of Vijayanagara kings. Tirupati survived the Muslim invasions of South India, unlike other temples such as the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai and Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam. It is believed that during the invasions the deity of Sriranganatha from Srirangam was brought to Tirupati for safekeeping. To commemorate this event, a hall in Tirupati is still known as the Ranganatha Mandapa . In 1843, with the coming of the East India Company, the administration of the Shri Venkateshwara temple and a number of shrines was entrusted to Seva Dossji of the Hathiramji Mutt at Tirumala as Vicaranakarta for nearly a century until 1933, when the temple was under the administrative charge of the mahants. The Madras legislature passed a special act in 1933 whereby the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) committee was invested with powers of administration and control through a commissioner appointed by the Government of Madras. A Ryot Advisory Council was formed for the management of the estates of the TTD, and was assisted by a Religious Advisory Council with regard to religious matters. GEOGRAPHY Tirupati is located in southern part of Andhra Pradesh. 1 It has an average elevation of 162 Metre s (531 Feet ). The Tirumala Hill is 3200 ft above sea level, and is about 10.33 sq miles in area. It comprises seven peaks, representing the seven hoods of Adisesha, thus earning the name, Seshachalam. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrishabhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. Climate In summer temperatures may go up to 42 to 45 degrees Celsius (107.6 F to 113 F),and in winter the minimum temperatures will be between 10 and 18 degrees Celsius ( 50 F to 64.4 F). Usually summer lasts from March to June. With the advent of rainy season in July, followed by winter which lasts till the end of February. ECONOMY The town mainly relies on the income generated by the Tirumala temple. On an average, 1 Lakh (100,000) pilgrims reach Tirumala every day through Tirupati and thus there are hundreds of restaurants, hotels, travel operators have been established in the region. The temple "devasthanam" (the caretakers of the temple) also spend millions every year, in various developmental activities in the region. GOVERNMENT Tirupati was a municipal corporation, recently (in 2007) converted to corporation in Andhra Pradesh state. It contributes a member in Central Parliament and a member in state legislature in Indian politics. TRANSPORT ''See for more details'' Tirupati is well connected with all three major cities Hyderabad (555km), Chennai (140 km) and Bangalore (280 km) in South India by air, road or rail. The distance between Tirumla and Tirupathi down hills is 22 kms. From the foothills, the Pilgrims are provided the shuttle buses by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (T.T.D) and Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Service (A.P.S.R.T.C) {Link without Title} with as frequent as one bus in every 1-2 minutes throughout the day. The bus journey to Tirumala is approximately 45 minutes. It is also very common practice among the devotees to walk from Tirupati to Tirumala. The walk takes around four hours on a well-laid out foot path. DARSHAN BOOKING The TTD has changed the "Sudarshan Booking" counters from Tirumala to Tirupati.If you have not booked the tickets(Rs.50/-paid or Free)for Darshan from your City outside Tirupati, Now the Sudarshan Tickets can only be booked from Tirupati near Railway station, bus stand also at Srinivasa Complex. DEMOGRAPHICS As Of 2001 India Census , Tirupati had a population of 227,657. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Tirupati has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 69%. In Tirupati, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. The local language is telugu but the city of Tirupati has a significant Tamil speaking population, as the District of Chittoor has a good Tamil presence. CULTURE The people of Tirupathi speak mostly Telugu though Hindi , Tamil , Kannada and English are understood. The residents and visitors can be seen in both traditional attire like Dhoti , Lungi and Saree and modern attire. Practices of Tonsure and using Tilak are commonly seen. Songs and prayers of Lord Venkateswara like Annamacharya kirtanas can be heard all over the town. Festivals |
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