Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala – Legends

Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala – Legends

Varaha Kshetra:

As per Varaha Purana, during Satya Yuga, Vishnu rescued Earth which was taken over by Hiranyaksaha to Pathala Loka (underworld) in the form of Adi Varaha – a wild boar with tusks. He fought a fierce duel with Hiranyaksaha and killed him. He then slashed the water and brought up the Earth on his tusks. Brahma, the Devas and the sages extolled Adi Varaha's virtues, by chanting the Vedic mantras. They prayed to him to re-establish the Earth as before.

Adi Varaha obliged them, and called upon Brahma to recreate the world. He expressed his desire to reside on the Earth to protect its people. He commanded his vahana, Garuda to fetch Kridachala (an extensive natural hill with lofty peaks, embedded with gold and precious stones, and which resembled Adisesha in shape) from Vaikuntam. Garuda brought Kridachala and deposited it on a sacred spot (to the East of Swami Pushkarini) chosen by Adi Varaha.

Brahma and the other holy personages requested the fearsome-looking Adi Varaha to assume a tranquil and composed look, and rest on the hill to protect men and grant boons to people unable to reach God through Dhyana Yoga (meditation) and Karma Yoga (doing one's own duty). Adi Varaha appeared with four arms and a white face. He was adorned with jewels and accompanied by Bhudevi. He resolved to stay at Venkatadri, under a Divya vimana, to grant the prayers of men.

Seshachalam Hills:

It is believed that the origins of the Tirumala Hills (Seshachalam Hills) lies in a contest between Vayu (the wind god) and Adisesha (the first serpent). During Dwapara Yuga, Adisesha blocked Vayu from entering Vaikuntam as Lord Vishnu was in the company of his consort, Lakshmi. An incensed Vayu challenged Adisesha to a fight to decide the stronger between them, Vayu was tasked with trying to blow off Adisesha from the holy Meru mountain while Adisesha was asked to protect the peak with his hood. After a long time, Vayu appeared to yield and Adisesha lifted his hoods assuming that he had won the contest. Vayu then blew away one of the peaks. The peak landed near the Swarnamukhi river and is currently known as Seshachalam hill.

A variant to the legend is that the contest created pandemonium on earth and Brahma, Indra and other gods pleaded with Adisesha to relent. When Adisesha obliged, the peak (Ananda hill) and Adisesha were blown off Meru and landed near the banks of river Swarnamukhi. When Adisesha was dejected with his defeat, the Gods converted Adisesha into the seven hills with the hood named as Seshadri hill or Seshachalam hill or Venkatadri hill. Another variant to the story is: Adisesha, fatigued by the contest was instructed by Lord Vishnu to rest on Earth in a place that he chose for his stay in Kali Yuga.

Venkateswara:

Lakshmi leaving Vaikuntam:

In the Kali Yuga, rishis performing yagna sought the advice of celestial sage Narada on which of the Trimurti should be selected for offering the fruits of the yagna. Narada suggested that the wise sage Bhrigu should be allowed to decide after he met the Trimurtis. The sage who had an extra eye in the sole of his foot visited Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva and went un-noticed in both these locations. He cursed Brahma that no temple sans one will worship Brahma and cursed Shiva that temples on Earth will worship him as Lingam.

When Sage Bhrigu visited Lord Vishnu who was in a private meeting with his wife Goddess Lakshmi, He failed to immediately receive and honour the sage and the sage felt humiliated and angry by this act. Sage Bhrigu kicked Lord Vishnu on the chest, to which Vishnu did not react and instead apologized to the sage by massaging his feet. During this act, he squashed the extra eye that was present in the sole of Bhrigu's foot. The extra eye is believed to represent the sage's false egotism. The sage then realized his grave mistake and begged forgiveness from Lord Vishnu.

Lord Vishnu's chest is significant as the abode of Goddess Lakshmi. The Goddess felt highly insulted at the sage's misdemeanor and Lord Vishnu's silence at the act, and left Lord Vishnu's heavenly abode (Vaikunta). Goddess Lakshmi on leaving the Vaikuntha comes to Varaha Kshetra and does intense penance for 12 years. The Gods, terrified with her intensity, mollified her into returning to Vaikuntam with the promise that the site of her penance would bear Goddess Padmavathi (Alarmelu Manga Devi) as a reincarnation of Goddess Lakshmi during the rule of Akasha Raja.

Vishnu leaving Vaikuntam:

After the departure of Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Vishnu left Vaikuntha and took his abode in an ant-hill on the Venkata Hill under a tamarind tree beside a Pushkarini. Lord Brahma and Shiva, taking pity on the condition of Vishnu, made up their mind to assume the forms of a cow and calf to serve him. Surya – Sun God informed Lakshmi of this and requested her to sell the cow and calf to the king of the Chola country assuming the form of a cowherdess.

Curse of Chola King:

The Chola king sent the cow and its calf to graze on the Venkata Hill along with his herd of cattle. Discovering Lord Vishnu in the ant-hill, the cow everyday emptied her udder over the ant-hill and thus fed the Lord. Over a period of time, the queen noticed that the cow did not yield any milk and chastised the cowherd severely. The cowherd investigating the cause, followed the cow and discovered the cow emptying her udder over the ant-hill. In his anger, the cowherd aimed a blow with his axe on the head of the cow but struck God who rose from the ant-hill to receive the blow and save the cow.

On seeing Lord Vishnu bleeding, the cowherd fell down and died. On the death of the cowherd, the cow returned to the king with blood stains on her body, bellowing in the presence of the Chola King. An anxious king followed the cow to the scene of the incident. Near an ant-hill, the King found the cowherd lying dead on the ground. While the King stood wondering how it had happened, the Lord rose from the ant-hill and cursed the king to become an Rakshasa (Demon) for the fault of his servant.

Entreated by the king who pleaded innocence, the Lord blessed him by saying that his curse would end when he was adorned with the Kireetam (crown) presented by Akasha Raja at the time of his marriage with Sri Padmavati. To atone the sins of raising the axe against the Lord, the cowherd's Athma (spirit) received the boon that he and his descendants would have the pleasure of opening the door in the Lord's temple in due time.

Goddess Padmavati:

In due time, the Chola king was reborn as Akasha Raja and though he ruled well, he had no children born to him. When he conducted yagna and was tilling the ground, he found a baby in a lotus flower and named her Alamelumangai (Lady born in Lotus petals) and adopted her as his daughter. Lord Vishnu reincarnated as Srinivasa (or presented himself after penance in the ant-hill) as the son of elderly woman saint Vakula Devi. Vakula Devi was Yasodha in her previous birth, Lord Krishna's foster-mother and was unhappy in that life for not seeing his marriage.

As per the boon received from Krishna, she was reborn as Vakula Devi. In course of time Princess Padmavati grew up into a beautiful maiden and was visited by Saint Narada. On reading her palm, he foretold that she was destined to be the spouse of Lord Vishnu himself. In due time, Lord Srinivasa on a hunting trip was chasing a wild elephant in the forest. The elephant led him into a garden where Princess Padmavati and her maids were present. The sight of the elephant frightened them and their Princess.

When Lord Srinivasa appeared in front of the Elephant, it immediately turned around, saluted the Lord and disappeared into the forest. Lord Srinivasa noticed princess Padmavathi and enquired about her from her maids. Enthralled by her, Lord Srinivasa lost interest in other activities and confided in Vakula Devi on his love for Padmavathi. He also revealed his identity as Lord Vishnu as well as told her about her past life as his foster-mother Yasodha.

Marriage of Srinivasa & Padmavathi:

Vakula Devi leaves her hermitage to approach Akasha Raja with her proposal of marriage between Lord Srinivasa and Padmavathi. In the meantime, the restless Lord came to the city in the disguise of a fortune-teller. Princess Padmavathi also fell in love with Lord Srinivasa and fell ill after returning to the Palace. Unable to diagnose her ill-health, the maids invited the fortune-teller into the palace to foretell the future of the princess. When the fortune-teller revealed that Padmavathi was born to marry Lord Vishnu in his current avatar as Lord Srinivasa, she recovered.

As the king heard of this news, Vakula announced herself to the King and asked for his daughter's hand in marriage to her son, Lord Srinivasa. The overjoyed king agreed and his advisor Brihaspati wrote the invitation for the wedding between the two avatars. Lord Srinivasa called for a conference of the Gods to win their consent for his marriage with Princess Padmavati. The Lord also obtained a heavy loan from Kubera, god of wealth in Hindu Mythology towards expenses for the wedding as well as provide proof of his wealth.

Srinivasa turns into Venkateswara:

In about 6 months after this celestial marriage, Mahalakshmi comes to know that her husband married again and comes to see him in disbelief. It is said that the Lord turns into Stone right when he is encountered by Mahalakshmi and Padmavathi. Lord Brahma and Shiva appear before the confused queens and explain the main purpose behind all this – The Lord's desire to be on the 7 hills for the emancipation of mankind from the perpetual troubles of Kali Yuga. Goddesses Lakshmi and Padmavathi also turn into stone idols expressing their wish to be with their Lord always. Lakshmi stays with him on his Chest on the left side while Padmavathi rests on His Chest's right side.

Rangadasa was a staunch devotee of Vishnu and in the course of his pilgrimage, joined Sage Vaikhanasa Gopinatha, who was going up the Tirumala Hill for the worship of the Lord. This was after the Lord had settled the Adi Varaha region. After bathing in the Swami Pushkarini, Rangadasa viewed Lord Vishnu beneath a tamarind tree. However, Lord Vishnu was exposed to the sun, wind and rain and was only protected by the extended wings of Garuda. Rangadasa raised a rough wall of stones around the deity, and started supplying flowers to Gopinatha every day for Vishnu's worship.

One day, Rangadasa was distracted by a Gandharva king and his ladies and forgot to supply flowers to Gopinatha for Vishnu's worship. The Lord then revealed himself and told Rangadasa that he had not been steadfast and had succumbed to temptation. However, in acceptance of Rangadasa's devoted service to him till then, the Lord blessed Rangadasa that he would be reborn as an affluent ruler of a province and would enjoy the earthly pleasures. He would continue to serve the Lord, construct a beautiful temple with a vimana and high surrounding walls, and thereby earn eternal glory. Soon the site was forgotten and an ant-hill formed over the temple. This is reputed to be the same ant-hill in which Lord Srinivasa resided later after descending from Vaikuntam.

Temple for Venkateswara:

Rangadasa was reborn as Tondaiman, the son of the royal couple, Suvira and Nandini. Tondaiman enjoyed a pleasurable life as a young man. One day, he set out on a hunting expedition on the Tirumala Hill, and with the help of a cow-herd, saw Vishnu under the tamarind tree. Tondaman returned home, deeply affected by the vision of Vishnu. Tondaiman later inherited his father's kingdom, Thondaimandalam. In accordance with the directions given by Adi Varaha to a forester, Tondaiman constructed a prakaram (closed precincts of a temple) and dvara gopura, and arranged for regular worship of the Lord as per Vaikhanasa Agama. Lord Venkateswara appeared in the dream of Tondaiman and asks him to build a temple for him where he turned into stone. So comes into being the temple for Venkateswara on the seventh hill, named Venkatadri (Venkata Hill) at present day Tirumala-Tirupati.

Venkatachala Mahatyam:

Sri Venkatachala Mahatyam is the most accepted legend among these, which provides the history of the temple across the various yugas. This place had also been mentioned in many puranas. It’s been said as "Venkatadri Samasthanam Brahmande nasti kinchana, Venkatesha samodevo na bhuto na bhavishyati" which literally translates as there is no place in the entire Universe which is equal to Tirumala and there is no other God equal to Venkatesha in the past, present or will be in the future.