Top 10 Unknown Facts About Tirupati Balaji Temple

August 5, 2017

Tirupati Balaji temple is also known as Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple and is located in the hill town of Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh. The ancient temple is one of the richest shrines in India. The Tirumala hill shrine is made up of seven hills namely Neeladri, Garudadri, Seshadri, Vrishabhadri, Anjanadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. The main Tirumala temple is situated on the seventh hill named Venkatadri. The presiding deity of the holy Tirumala Temple is Lord Sri Venkateswara also known as Balaji and Govinda.

Here are a few unknown facts about the temple:

1. The entrance of the Tirumala Hills has a huge arch that looks like the hood of a serpent. It is said that the main deity of the temple is as tall as the arch stands.

2. One of the mythological stories talks about Ananthaalvar who hit Lord Venkateshwara Swamy with a stick on the chin when Swamy was just a boy. The supposed stick can be found inside the temple. This story also paved the way for the tradition of applying sandalwood paste on Swamy’s chin.

3. The main idol of Lord Venkateshwara Swamy has real hair on it and the hair is said to never get tangled and is always silky smooth.

4. Green camphor is applied to the granite idol on a regular basis but the odd thing is that when green camphor is applied to granite it causes cracks but this idol remains without a crack.

5. Approximately 23 kms from the temple is a secret village that doesn’t allow outsiders. Only the residents of the village are allowed to enter and exit the village. They live with strict practices and also supply the milk, ghee, flowers and butter that are used in the temple.

6. The statue of Lord Venkateshwara appears to be placed in the center of the Garba Gudi. But in actuality, the statue stands on the right side corner of the Garba Gudi. You can notice this only while standing on the outside of the temple.

7. The back of the idol remains wet no matter how many times it is dried. It is also fascinating to know that if you place your ear against the statue you can hear the ocean.

8. The temple has oil lamps that have been kept burning for years now, it is uncertain how many years but the lamps have never been put off.

9. During the 1800s it is said the temple was closed for as long as 12 years. The king of the area at the time is said to have punished 12 people responsible for closing of the temple by hanging them from the wall of the temple after killing them.

10. The temple is situated 3000 feet above the ground and the climate is always cold but the statue of the idol stays at a constant temperature of 43 degrees Celsius.

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