20 Interesting Facts About Tirupati Balaji

Tirupati Balaji Temple is one of the major tourist attractions of South India and one of the richest temples. People's faith and belief in Lord Vishnu or Swami is an unimaginable sight and quite interesting too. Showcasing an intriguing view of incredible India, Tirupati Balaji Temple is a must visit during your visit to this wonderland. Here are 20 interesting facts about this temple that has been attracting tourists from all over the world.

• Murthy has real hair and they never get tangled. According to a legend, the Garhwan princess cut her hair and gave it to the lord, when she was struck by a shepherd and lost some of her own.
• The idol appears to be standing in the middle of the sanctum sanctorum from outside whereas the idol is actually slightly towards the right corner of the Garba Gudi.
• No one knows when the lamp was lit in front of the idol but everyone believes that it never gets extinguished and is alive for thousands of years.
• After the morning consecration, the idol sweats and the sweat is wiped off with a silk cloth.
• Tirupati Balaji holds the record of being the richest as well as the most visited temple in India. The temple receives offerings in cash, jewellery, gold, silver, property deeds and demat share transfers from devotees and around 22.5 million are offered per day.
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• The "Prasad" given here is a Registered Geographical Indication (GI) and was followed by a boom in black marketing during the preparation and distribution of these sweets.
• The main idol of Balaji is alive! People believe this because when you place your ear on the back of the main idol, you hear the sound of a roaring ocean.
• All the garlands, flowers, milk, butter, holy leaves, whatever is offered to Balaji, all come from a secret village. The only information that outsiders have about this village is that it is located about 20 km away and no one is allowed to enter or visit this village except the residents.
• Indian Goddess Lakshmi still resides in the heart of Balaji. really! According to the priests at Tirupati Balaji, every Thursday during Nija Roop Darshanam, the main idol is decorated with white wooden coating. After removing the paste, the impression of the goddess remains.
• A firm belief in a legend about the real existence of the lord is found in this area. The incident is such as there was a king by unknown name who killed 12 people for the crime committed by him and hanged them at the gate of this temple. The temple was closed for 12 years and Swami gave darshan.
• The surroundings of this temple seem normal but when you see it, the place becomes attractive. Not far away, the Garuda Hill in Tirumala is quite an interesting sight to behold. The hill got its name because of the shape of Garuda (an eagle). Interestingly, Garuda is believed to be the abode of Lord Venkateswara.
• Another similar fact about the hills is that one of the hills has the face of the lord. It's like he's sleeping and you can actually see the face.
• At the entrance of Tirumala hills there is a rock formation which appears like a snake hood. The distance of this formation is equal to the height of the main idol.
• A stick can be found at the main entrance of the temple (Mahadwaram). According to the beliefs, that stick was used by Ananthalvar to kill Swami when they were children. During this one day Swami's chin got hurt due to which blood oozed out. Since then the practice of applying sandalwood on Swami's chin came into existence.
• Idol is stronger than any material. Even after the application of green camphor, which is known to be the strongest material that can crack any stone, the idol of the lord remains unaffected.
• The temple structure was constructed around 300 AD. The Dravidian style of construction involved the use of sandstone, granite and soapstone.
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• The silk dress that Swami is wearing is 21 arms long and weighs about 6 kg. The upper body of the idol is covered with sari and the lower body with dhoti. Also the dress of the idol is never bought from any shop but rather the devotees who wish to contribute towards depositing the amount in the temple treasury.
• The temple has various stone carvings from different ruling administrations of history. There are about 1180 engravings out of which 139 belong to the reign of Kondoi Vedu, 229 to King Krishnadeva Rayar, 147 to Sadashiva Rayar, 251 to Achchuthan Rayar period, 169 to the reign of Chalukya kings and 236 to the Chola period.
• Tirupati Balaji Temple holds a special significance among Hindus. As for religion, Hinduism states that there are a total of 8 Vishnu Swayambhu Kshetras and Tirupati is one of them. In addition, this temple is mentioned by Tamil Azhwar sages to be one of the 106 Vishnu temples that exist in worldly realms.
• According to Vaikhanas traditions, the deity is worshiped six times a day. Ushakala, Prathakala, Madhyaika, Aparaha, Sandhyakala and Midnight worship are the six worships performed for the deity.

One of the Indian wonders and a prime spot for the Hindu devotee, Tirupati Balaji Temple is certainly a visual treat. A visit here means that you will experience peace and be amazed by its beauty.