Sri Venkateswara

Sri Venkateswara is Vishnu as he stands on Venkatadri, the seventh of the seven hills at Tirumala. Tradition says the Lord chose to stay on earth through the Kali Yuga so that devotees could see him with their own eyes. His lower right hand points down to his feet, as if to say, "Take refuge here." His left hand rests on his hip, and devotees read this as a promise that for those who surrender, the ocean of worldly life is only waist-deep.

The Venkatachala Mahatmya, which gathers stories from the Puranas, tells how the sage Bhrigu struck Vishnu on the chest, where Lakshmi lives. Hurt, Lakshmi left Vaikuntha for the earth, and Vishnu came down looking for her. Living on these hills as Srinivasa, he married Padmavati, daughter of King Akasha Raja, and borrowed money from Kubera for the wedding. Devotees say, with affection, that what they put in the temple hundi helps the Lord pay back that loan.

The Alvars sang of Tiruvenkatam more than a thousand years ago. Tradition says Sri Ramanuja set the order of worship here, and Annamacharya wrote thousands of songs to the Lord. Every day at Tirumala begins with the Suprabhatam. The big days of the year are the Brahmotsavam, Vaikuntha Ekadashi, when the Vaikuntha Dvaram is opened, and the Saturdays of the Tamil month of Purattasi. Pilgrims offer their hair, chant "Govinda, Govinda" as they climb, and bring home the Tirumala laddu as prasadam.

For many Telugu and Tamil families abroad, Balaji is the main deity in the home shrine and at the local temple. The Sri Venkateswara Temple near Pittsburgh was one of the first traditional Hindu temples built in the United States. At home, many families simply light a lamp, offer a tulasi leaf and play the Suprabhatam in the morning.