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Concept
Venkateswara
Summary
Venkateswara (alternatively spelt as Venkateshvara) is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu and is the presiding deity of the Venkateswara Temple, located in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. Venkateswara is also known by various other names.
Venkateswara literally means, "Lord of Venkata". The word is a combination of the words Venkata (the name of a hill in Andhra Pradesh) and iswara ("Lord"). According to the Brahmanda and Bhavishyottara Puranas, the word "Venkata" means "destroyer of sins", deriving from the Sanskrit words vem (sins) and kata (power of immunity).
Venkateswara is known by many names such as, Srinivasa (in whom Lakshmi dwells), Narayana (the creator and destroyer), Perumal (the great lord), Malaiyappa (the lord of the Hill) and Govinda. In Telugu, he is commonly known as "yedu kondala venkanna" or the god of the Seven Hills.
Legend of Tirumala
Every year, hundreds of thousands of devotees donate a large amount of wealth at the Venkateswara Temple at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. A legend provides the reason for the same.
Once, the sages wanted to decide the deity to dedicate a ritual. The sages appointed the sage Bhrigu to select the god. Bhrigu decided to test the gods. He first went to the god-king of heaven, Indra, who ignored the sage, and was busy in enjoying the dance of apsaras. Bhrigu cursed Indra that he would only be referred to as an egoistic soul, all over the universe. He next visited Brahma. Brahma was busy with his four heads in chanting the Vedas, performing meditation, creating the world, and spending his time with his wife, Saraswati. Next, he visited Shiva. Shiva was engaged in meditation with his wife, Parvati. Bhrigu cursed Shiva that he would be worshipped only in the formless lingam. At last, Bhrigu went to Vishnu. Vishnu was sleeping on the serpent Shesha, and his consort Lakshmi was at his feet. When Bhrigu arrived, he first saw Vishnu's feet, and felt humiliated. Enraged, he kicked Vishnu on his chest. Awakened, Vishnu started massaging Bhrigu's feet, and served him with great hospitality.
Official source
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