The Bhuloka Vaikuntam, or the home of Vishnu on earth, is a suitable name for the Tirupati Balaji temple. Many believe that because of this, the Supreme Being manifested at this temple during the Kali era to teach and guide His followers toward redemption.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is one of India’s most revered and valuable sanctuaries. Every day, over 1 lakh people would go to the temple to offer prayers to Lord Venkateshwara. However, there are a lot of fascinating facts regarding the Tirupati Balaji temple, including the claim that Balaji’s idol has genuine hair and tends to sweat.

The most intriguing and little-known facts regarding the Tirupati Balaji Temple are provided here :-

• The idol’s hair is genuine, and it never twists. Gardhavan claims that after Lord Balaji was struck by a shepherd and lost a portion of his hair, the princess cut her hair and handed it to him.
• Nobody knows when the lamp in front of the idol was kindled.
• The idol sweats after the morning Abhishekam within the temple, and the sweat is removed from the statue with a silk towel.
• Balaji’s primary idol is still alive! When you lay your ear on the back of the Lord, you can hear the sound of the ocean, and no matter how many times you clean the back, moisture still escapes from the idol.
• All of the flowers, milk, garlands, sacred leaves, butter, and other offerings made to Balaji originate from a hidden village. In this village, it is not customary for women to wear blouses.
• According to Tirupati Balaji, a priest, “The Imprint of Goddess Laxmi would be seen on the white wood paste applied to Swami on Thursday at NijaRoopa Darshanam.”
• A stick with a top may be found at the temple’s front gate. The legend has it that when they were kids, Ananthalwar thrashed Balaji with a stick. Swami Venkateswara was struck on the chin one day during this and began to bleed. Since that time, there has been a tradition of putting Chandanam on Venkateswara Swami’s chin.
• The idol is more durable than any substance. Even after the application of Green Camphor, which is regarded as the strongest substance that could fill a break in any stone, the idol of Swami is unaffected.

What makes Tirupati so unique?

The Tirupati Laddu is a delicacy that is well-known around the world. At the Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala, it is offered as Prasadam. Due to Tirupati Laddus’ designation as a Geographical Indication, only Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams are allowed to produce or market it.

In the Andhra Pradesh hill town of Tirumala, there is a highly well-known Hindu Vaishnavite temple called Tirupati Balaji . It is said that Lord Vishnu himself arrived here during the troubled Kaliyuga to save humanity. According to this religion, the Lord is also referred to as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam.

• The most popular and wealthiest temple in India is Tirupati Balaji, which also holds the record for most visitors. The average daily donation to the temple is about 22.5 million Rupees, and it comes in the forms of cash, gold, silver, jewelry, from worshippers.
• This “Prasad” was created after a black market developed during the manufacturing and distribution of these sweets and is a certified Geographical Indicator (GI).
• Although the surrounding area of this temple appears unremarkable at first, it is amazing after you investigate it. Garuda Hill in Tirumala is nearby and pretty wonderful to view. Because of its eagle-like form, the Seven Hills received its name (Garuda). It’s noteworthy to note that Garuda is regarded as Lord Venkateshwara’s dwelling.
• Another interesting truth about hills is that one of them has Swamy Venkateswara’s visage. You can really see his face and it seems like he’s asleep.
• The silk garment Swami is wearing weighs around 6 kg and has 21 arms. The idol’s lower body is covered with a dhoti, while its upper body is draped in a saree. Additionally, the idol’s clothing is never purchased from a store; rather, devotees who want to support the temple donate money to the temple’s treasury.

Why are Tirupati’s eyes shut?

There are rumours that the white mark on Lord Balaji’s idol is so enormous that it entirely obscures his eyes. Because the remainder of the Lord’s eyes is concealed, the devotees can only see a small fraction of them.

The Bhuloka Vaikuntam, or the home of Vishnu on earth, is a suitable name for the Tirupati Balaji temple. Many believe that because of this, the Supreme Being manifested at this temple during the Kali era.

The Tirumala Tirupati Balaji Temple’s architecture

The Tirupati Temple’s architecture is of Dravidian style. Ananda Nilayam is the name of the Garbhagriha or Sanctum Sanctorum, which has Lord Venkateswara as its presiding deity and is facing east. The Garbhagriha can be reached by one of three Dwarams. Vendivakili, the silver entry through the inner compound wall of Mahadwaram, and Bangaruvakili, the golden entrance leading into the Garbhagriha.

The temple is surrounded by the Sampangipradakshinam and Vimana Pradakshinam circumambulation routes.

Celebrations Connected to the Tirumala Tirupati Balaji Temple

The 365 days of the year are filled with celebrations for a whopping 433 festivals. The main festival of the temple, Sri Venkateswara Brahmotsavam, is held annually in October. During Brahmotsavam, the processional deity Malayappa is carried in a procession around the four lanes surrounding the temple in several Vahanas with his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi (Vehicles). A similar celebration, known as Rathasapthami, is observed in February and features Lord Malayappa.

Another significant holiday observed in Tirumala Tirupati Balaji is Vaikunta Ekadasi, the day on which it is supposedly possible to enter Vaikunta, the home of Vishnu. Around 1.5 lakh worshipers throng the temple on this day to see the Lord. Rama Navami, Ugadi, Janmashtami, Teppotsavam (Float Festival), Pushpa Yagam, Pushpa Pallaki, Sri Padmavathi Parinayam Utsavams, and Vasanthotsavam (Spring Festival), which take place in March-April, are some of the other yearly festivities held in Tirumala.