Tirupati is situated at 67-km from Chittoor in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Tirupati is one of the important pilgrim centres in India. The ancient and sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara is located on the seventh peak, Venkatachala (Venkata Hill) of the Tirupati Hill. This historic shrine of Sri Venkateswara is famous all over the country and attracts pilgrims from all over the country who stand in line for hours together to obtain a glimpse of the presiding deity for a few fleeting seconds. The shrine is located on a hill at Tirumala, a cluster of seven hills known as Seshachalam or Venkatachalam with an elevation of 853m (2, 800ft.) above the sea level. It is said to be the richest temple in the world. This temple is a vibrant cultural and philanthropic institution with a grand history spanning several centuries. All the great dynasties of rulers of the southern peninsula paid homage to Lord Sri Venkateswara in this ancient shrine. The Pallavas of Kancheepuram (9th century AD), the Cholas of Thanjavur (a century later), the Pandyas of Madurai, and the kings and chieftains of Vijayanagar (14th – 15th century AD) were devotees of the Lord. Tirupathi is a fine example of dravidian temple architecture.
The ‘gopuram’ or tower of the Tirupati Temple shows a characteristic feature of Dravidian architecture. The ‘Vimana’ or Cupola over the sanctum sanctorum is covered entirely with gold plate and is known as “the Ananda Nilayam”. The Shrine consists of three ‘Prakarams’ or enclosures. The outermost enclosure contains the ‘Dhvajastambha’ or the banner post and, among others, the statues of Vijayanagara king Krishnadevaraya and his consorts, and of Todarmal, the minister of Akbar. The idol of the deity, the full figure of Lord Venkateswara or ‘Venkataramana’ or ‘Srinivasa’ or ‘Balaji’ has the attributes of both Vishnu and Shiva, preserving and destroying aspects of the Hindu Trinity.
The Essay on The First Half Of The Seventeenth Century Witnessed The Last
The first half of the seventeenth century witnessed the last and greatest of the religious wars, a war that for thirty years (1618-48) devastated Germany and involved, before it was over, nearly every state in Europe. For more than half a century before the war began, the Religious Peace of Augsburg (1555) had served to maintain an uneasy peace between the Protestant and Catholic forces in ...
