OM SRI VENKATESAYA NAMAH!!
Home to Lord Venkateswara, the temple town of Tirupati is one of India’s oldest and most important pilgrimage sites. Balaji Temple is located in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh. More than 16,000 people ate working in Tirumala Tirupati Devastanam.
The temple town has survived the sacred temple of Lord Sri Venkateswara located in the hills of Tirumala with a history dating back more than 12 centuries, the temple is the jewel at the top of an ancient place of worship in southern India.
TTD is an independent trust which oversees the Tirumala Venkateswara temple and the trust directs the functions and finances one of the richest and most visited religious centers in the world and is also engaged in various religious, literary, social and educational activities.
Tirumala Balaji Temple is one of the most ancient and famous temples in India, Sastras, Sthala Mahatmyarns, and Alwar hymns, state unequivocally that in Kali Yuga one can only conquer the mukti by worshiping this Lord Venkateswara Temple.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam History:
The great dynasties ruled the southern peninsula paid homage to Lord Sri Venkateswara in this ancient sanctuary. In the 9th century AD the Pallavas of Kancheepuram, in 10th century the Cholas of Thanjavur, the Pandyas of Madurai and the kings and rulers of Vijayanagar (14th-15th centuries AD) were the followers of the Lord. They donated many rich offerings to the temple. It was during the government of the Vijayanagar dynasty that contributions to the temple increased.
Sri Krishnadevaraya had sculptures of himself and his spouses established at the gateways of the temple, and these statues can be seen still now. There is also a statue of Venkatapati Raya in the main temple. After the refusal of the Vijayanagar dynasty, the upper class and ruler from all parts of the country sustained to pay their homage and suggest gifts to the temple. The Maratha general, Raghoji Bhonsle, approached the temple and set up a permanent donation for the manner of worship in the temple.
He also obtainable precious jewels to the Lord, together with a large bright green which is preserved still now in a box named after the General. Among the later rulers who have endowed large amounts are the rulers of Mysore and Gadwal.
After destroy of the Hindu kingdoms, the Muslim rulers of Karnataka and afterward the Britishers took over, and many of the temples came in their supervisory and protective control. In 1843 AD, the East India Company divested itself of the direct management of non-Christian places of worship and native religious institutions.
The management of Sri Venkateswara temple and a numeral of lands were then assigned to Sri Seva Dossji of the Hatiramji Mutt at Tirumala, and the temple stays behind the administration of the Mahants for nearly a century, till 1933 AD.
The Madras government agreed to a special act in 1993, which authorized the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Committee to manage and govern a set group of temples in the Tirumala-Tirupati area, through a Commissioner appointed by the Government of Madras.
The Act of 1933 was replaced in 1951, by a performance where the management of TTD was hand over to a Board of Trustees, and an Executive Officer was appointed by the Government. The provisions of the Act of 1951 were reserved by the Charitable and Religious Endowments Act, 1966.
Tirumala Tirupati Temple Services:
TTD offers many services for pilgrims to Tirumala and Tirupati like bus services, food, accommodation, education, Hospitals and more. It manages the queue management system which services head tonsure and distribution of Laddus. It manages information and ticketing centers in the major towns and cities all over the country and it maintains many marriage halls.
Sri Venkateswara Central and Research Centers (SVCLRC) launched by TTD in 1993, it contains approximately 40,000 number of books mainly on philosophy and religions and it also helps to support the old – age cultural customs of India, in the areas of traditional sculpture and architecture, temple re-enactments and renovation of Hindu Sculptures.
Composite queuing algorithms and rising technologies have been established and implemented to manage the huge crowd with Tata Consultancy Services designing and implementing the software and hardware infrastructure for queue management and along with other companies.
Tirumala Tirupati Temple Management:
TTD trust mainly sustains the management of Venkateswara temple at Tirumala and also various other temples. The management includes both historical and new temples that were built by TTD itself.