Pilgrimage Tour
Pilgrimage Tour

History of Tirupati Balaji Temple

Located on the Tirumala Hills, Tirupati Balaji Temple is dedicated to Lord Sri Venkateshwara who is believed to have appeared to Earth to save the people from the troubles of Kali Yuga. The rulers of different dynasties of southern India highly revered Lord Venkateshwara and paid homage to him in Tirupati Balaji Temple.

Who Built Tirupati Balaji Temple

Tirupati Balaji Temple was built by Raja Thondaman of Thondaman dynasty which ruled the region in and around Padukottai during 17th-20th century.

There are different legends and mythology related to the construction of the temple by Raja Thondaman. Check Mythology of Tirupati Balaji Temple for more details on the legends of the temple.

Contributions by Different Dynasties

Pallava queen Samaval is the first person with a recorded contribution to Tirupati Balaji Temple in 966 CE. Along with jewels, she donated two parcels of land and ordered the revenues generated from the land to be used in the celebration of major festivals of the temple.

The notable dynasties devoted to Lord Venkateshwara were- Pallava dynasty, Chola dynasty, and Vijaynagara Empire. They donated a great amount of jewels and contributed significantly in the improvement and maintenance of the temple. It was during the Vijaynagara Empire that Tirupati Balaji Temple flourished in terms of wealth and size. The Vijaynagara Empire donated diamonds and jewels in significant amount.

Vijayanagara Emperor Krishnadevaraya visited the temple in multiple occasions and donated on one occasion donated gold and jewels which enabled the inner shrine, i.e. Ananda Nilayam to be gilded. King Krishnadevaraya had also constructed statues of himself and his consorts inside the temple portals.

After the decline of Vijayanagara Empire, kings from different regions like the Kingdom of Mysore and Gadwal Samsthanam worshipped the temple as its pilgrims and offered valuables to the temple. A permanent administration was also set up by Maratha General Raghoji I Bhonsle which organized worship procedures and operations.

The Era of British Rule

After the fall of Hindu kingdoms, Tirupati Balaji Temple came under the supervision of various Muslim rulers and then the East India Company. Under the Bruce’s Code, the British took over the temple’s administration in order to organize the income of the temple and counter mismanagement of temple funds.

They granted special status to the temple and didn’t interfere in the temple activities.

In 1843, the East India Company transferred the administration of the temples in Tirupati including Tirupati Balaji Temple to the Mahants of Hathiramji Mutt who served as Vicaranakartas.

The Mahants supervised the administration of the temple till 1933.

In 1933, TTD Act was passed which gave the power to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Committee to control and administer a fixed group of temples in Tirumala Tirupati Temple.

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Harsha
Harsha
9 months ago

So good it helped me complete my homework no other website gave me this much of information about the temple


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