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There is also a traditional belief in vogue that Balaji has a third eye which he opens at the time of Abhishekam.
In Pictures: 11 Shocking Facts About Tirupati Balaji Temple That Are Hard To Believe
Sri
Venkateswara Swamy Temple or Tirupati Balaji temple situated in the
hill town of Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh is an ancient and one of the
richest shrines of India. The Tirumala hill shrine consists of seven
hills namely Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrishabhadri,
Narayanadri, and Venkatadri. The main temple of Tirumala lies on the
seventh hill called Venkatadri, hence the Temple is also known as “The
Temple of Seven Hills”. Lord Sri Venkateswara, also known as Balaji and
Govinda, is the presiding deity of this holy Tirumala Temple.
There are many beliefs associated with this temple, which are too hard to believe. Let’s take a look at what these beliefs are!
1.
The Arch at the entrance of Tirumala Hills, which resembles the hood of
a serpent is considered unique in the world. It is said that main deity
in Tirumala temple is of the same height as the height of the Arch.
Lord Vishnu is said to have put his first foot down at a place called
Padalu, which is the highest point of Tirumala hills, Second step at the
location of the arch and the next step is stated to have been placed
where his idol is now worshipped in the temple at Tirumala.
2.
At the entrance of the main door (Mahadwaram of the temple), to the
right side, a stick which was used by Ananthaalvar to hit Venkateshwara
Swamy is present. Ananthatalvar hit Lord Venkateshwara Swamy on the chin
when Swamy was in his childhood, which oozed blood. Since then, the
practice and tradition of applying sandalwood paste on Swamy’s chin came
into existence.
3.
It is said that there is real hair on the main idol of Lord
Venkateshwara Swamy and they say that this hair is always silky smooth
and never tangles.
When Balaji lost a
small portion of hair after hit by a shepherd, Neela Devi a Gandharva
princess cut a portion of her hair and implant it on his scalp. Lord
Balaji promises her that all his devotees who come to his abode should
render their hair to him, and she would be the recipient of all the hair
received.
4.
A Chemical kaccha Karpooram (Green Camphor), a soft white chemical is
applied on the idol of Balaji every day. The fact is that, if this
chemical is applied on a granite stone, cracks will appear on it. But
surprisingly, even this is applied on Balaji every day; there is no
damage to the stone.
5.
There is a secret village, approximately 23 Kms from the temple in
Tirumala, where no one is allowed except the residents of the village.
The people are said to be living with strict practices and tradition. It
is from this village, that all the flowers, milk, ghee, butter are
sourced for the God.
6.
When someone dies how one does not see behind and lights the fire,
similarly, the flowers removed from Swamy are thrown in the water fall
at the back of Swamy. It is said that the pujaris do not look at the
back of the Swamy that entire day. All these flowers can be seen
floating at a place called Verpedu (located on the way to kalahasti)
which is 20 km from Tirupati.
7.
Lord Venkateshwara statue appears to be standing at the center of the
Garba Gudi. But, actually, Swamy stands at the right side corner of the
Garba Gudi. This can be noticed from standing outside.
8.
No matter how many times, the back of Swamy is dried, it always remains
wet. If you carefully keep your ear and listen against Swamy’s back,
sound of an ocean is heard.
9.
The oil lamps lighted in front of the Swamy idol are said to be lit
since thousands of years. It is also said that they never ever put off
and no one exactly knows since when these lights are lit.
10.
During 1800’s, the temple was said to be closed for 12 years. One King
of that time is said to have punished 12 people by killing them and
hanging them on the walls of the temple for doing the unsacred thing at
the temple. They say that it was at this time that Vimana Venkateshwara
Swamy has come to existence.
11.
It is said that the idol of Balaji always maintains a temperature of
110 degrees F. But the temple is at a height of about 3000 feet so the
climate is normally cold.
It is also
said that every morning at 4: 30 am after the Abhishekam is done with
water, milk as well as other dravayam, sweat appears in the orm of fine
water particles on the body of the idol, which is wiped off with a silk
cloth. On every Thursday when ornaments are removed before sacred bath
it is noticed that they are warm.
There is also a traditional belief in vogue that Balaji has a third eye which he opens at the time of Abhishekam.
BS-IV Norms For Vehicles
BS-IV Norms For Vehicles
Ministry
of Road Transport & Highways has issued notification No. GSR 643(E)
dated 19.08.2015 vide which the mass emission standards for Bharat Stage
IV shall come in to force all over the country in respect of four
wheeled vehicles manufactured on or after the 1st April, 2017. Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has reported that EPCA during its meeting held on 19th October 2016 informed the SIAM Members that only BS- IV vehicles should be registered from 1st April 2017. However, SIAM had clarified during the meeting that they will follow the Govt. of India notification and not manufacture any BS- III vehicles from 1st April 2017.
Amazing facts of Tirupati Balaji temple
Amazing facts of Tirupati Balaji temple
1. At the entrance of the main door, to the right side, a stick which was used by Ananthaalvar to hit Venkateshwara Swamy is present. When this stick was used to hit the ‘small boy’ Venkateshwara, his chin was hurt. Since then, the practice and tradition of applying Sandalwood paste on Swamy’s chin began.
2. There is real hair on the main idol of Venkateshwara Swamy. They say that this hair never tangles and is silky smooth always.
3. There is a village, approximately 23 Kms from the temple in Tirumala.
The entry to this village is only for the villagers. The people are said to be living with strict practices and tradition. It is from this village, that all the flowers, milk, ghee, butter are sourced for the God.
4. Venkateshwara Swamy appears to be standing in the middle of the garba gudi. Actually, Swamy stands at the right side corner of the garba gudi. This can be noticed from standing outside.
5. Every day a new & sacred dhoti (bottom) and saree (top) are used to decorate Swamy. Blessing newly married Couples who perform a spl seva are given this.
6. All the flowers used in the garba gudi are in no condition brought out. There is a waterfall behind Swamy’s behind. All flowers are thrown in this water fall.
7. No matter how many times, the back of Swamy is dried, it remains wet always. If you carefully keep your ear and listen against Swamy’s back, sound of an ocean is heard.
8. Lakshmi Devi is on the heart of Swamy. On Thursdays, during Nija Roopa Darshanam, Swamy is decorated with white wood paste. When this decoration is taken out, the imprint on Lakshmi Devi remains. This imprint is sold by the temple authorities.
9. When someone dies how one does not see behind and lights the fire, similarly, the flowers removed from Swamy are thrown at the back of Swamy. It is said that the pujaris do not look at the back of the Swamy that entire day. All these flowers can be seen coming out at a place called Verpedu, 20 kms from Tirupati (on way to Kalahaasti).
10. The lights (deepa) lighted in front of the Swamy is said to be lit since thousands of years. And no one exactly knows since when these lights are lit.
11. In 1800, the temple was said to be closed for 12 years. One King is said to have punished. 12 people (who committed some crime) by killing them and hanging them on the walls of the temple. They say that, it was at this time that Vimana Venkateshwara Swamy appeared..!
13. The Arch at the entrance ofTirumala Hills is unique in the world.
14. The Idol of Balaji is adorned with ‘Pachai Karpooram’, from Cinnamomum camphora, which is a highly volatile substance,daily. If applied to a stone, it will form Cracks. But not so in Lord Balaji’s case.
15.There is no mark of the Chisel in the Idol.
16. The Idol is always at 110 Degree F, despite being bathed in Water, Milk at the early hours, 4.30am. After bathing the Deity Sweat forms every day and it is wiped off.
17. Lord Balaji is worshiped as Goddess Uma (Ambal) on four days , as Vishnu for two days and Shiva as One day in a week.
18. This Place is known for its amazing literacy rate (87.55%). What’s even more remarkable is that this is significantly higher than the national average of 73%
19. It has the second largest zoo in Asia.
Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park covers an area of 5,532 acres (22 square kilometers). It is said to have been built on the concepts of the Hindu Mythology, and is home to some of the animals that exist in ancient texts like Ramayana and Mahabharata.
20.The Local National Park is home to some rare birds and animals and has won accolades from several bio reserves. About 178 species of birds have been identified here, which also includes the globally threatened “Yellow-throated bulbul”, the critically dangered “Oriental white-backed vulture”, Loten’s Sunbird etc.
The “Gliding Lizard” and “Golden Gecko” are famous reptiles.
21. It has one of the richest temple administration, TTD (Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam)The major source of its income is Kanuka or Hundi offerings. Besides this, the sale of prasadam, darshan tickets, sale of seva tickets, sale of human hair, and receipts from choultries (places of accommodation) are the other significant sources of income.
The gross income of TTD for the current year (2014-15) is estimated to be Rs.2359.2 crores($385.33 mn). So, that is about Rs.6.34 crores($1.036 mn) per day.
23. It has free transport.The free bus services operated by TTD in Tirumala are known as “Dharma Radhams”. There are 12 such buses that pass through cottages, choultries, temples and other places in Tirumala, at a frequency of every 3 minutes in the prescribed time slots.
24.The Garuda Hill in Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, features a natural rock formation that is in the form of Garuda (the eagle).
Incidentally, it turns out that Garuda is also the vehicle of Lord Venkateswara.
25. 300 years old “TIRUPATI LADDU” has a global patent.
It got the patent rights under theGeographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act; to counter the black market that was developing. Around 150,000 laddus are made daily. Each laddu weighs around 100gms, and is said to be made by a group of priests called “Archakas” in a special temple kitchen called “poku”.
26. The ambulance, a specially outfitted truck costing Rs. 13 lakh, has been funded by the Animal Welfare Board of India and the Marchig Animal Welfare Trust of Scotland. It uses a hydraulic system to haul animals into its stalls and can also be used for shifting stray dogs.
27. The most visited place of worship of the world.Visited by about 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily; while on special occasions and festivals like the annual Brahmotsavam, the number of pilgrims shoots up to 500,000 and more, making it the most-visited holy place in the world.
28. Tirumala temple has gold reserves and 52 tonnes of gold ornaments ( including antique gold ornaments and vessels of deity donated by kings and even British rulers since over 1000 years) which are worth over Rs 37,000 crore as per latest estimates. Every year it converts over 3000 kg of gold received in hundi from pilgrims as gold reserve deposits with nationalised banks.
29. The Tirumala Hill is 853m above sea level and is about 10.33 square miles (27 km2) in area. It comprises seven peaks, representing the seven heads of Adisesha thus earning the name Seshachalam. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri.
30. Tirumala Tirupati is the richest temple in the world in terms of donations received and wealth, and the most-visited place of worship in the world.The temple is visited by about 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily (30 to 40 million people annually on average), while on special occasions and festivals, like the annual Brahmotsavam, the number of pilgrims shoots up to 500,000, making it the most-visited holy place in the world.
31.Lord Vishnu is worshiped in the Temple as per Vaikhanasa traditions. The ancient texts of the sage Marichi (the Bhagvad Shastram and Vimanarchana Kalpam) state that Lord Vishnu here should be worshipped six times a day.
UshaKala Aradhana — worship (or Aradhana) should start and finish before sunrise
Prathakala Aradhana — worship should start after sunrise and finish before noon
Madhyanika Aradhana — worship should start and finish at noon
Aparahana Aradhana — worship should start when the sun starts to descend
SandhyaKala Aradhana — worship should start and finish around the sunset
Ardharatri Aradhana — worship should start after the horizon is completely dark.
32. Many devotees have their head tonsured as “Mokku”, an offering to God. The daily amount of hair collected is over a ton. The hair thus gathered is sold by the temple organisation a few times a year by Public Auction to international buyers for use as hair extension and in cosmetics, bringing over $6 million to the temple’s treasury.This is the second highest income generating activity in the temple next to the Hundi Collection.
Nitya Anna Danam is a daily programme conducted by TTD about 1,20,000 People will be served daily.
33. A Cowherd or ” Sannidhi Golla” is the first person to open doors and enter the girbagriha and light the lamps. The family line of Cowherd has maintained the legacy all these years by blessing of lord Tirumala.
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