Legend of Tirumala
He commanded his vahana, Garuda to fetch Kridachala (an extensive natural hill with lofty peaks, embedded with gold and precious stones, and which resembled Shesha in shape) from Vaikuntha.
A variant to the legend is that the contest created pandemonium on earth and Brahma, Indra and other gods pleaded with Shesha to relent.
Another variant to the story is: Shesha, fatigued by the contest was instructed by Vishnu to rest on earth in a place that he chose for his stay in Kali Yuga.
In the Kali Yuga, a number of sages who were performing a yajna (ritual sacrifice) sought the advice of the sage-divinity Narada regarding which of the Trimurti the ceremony should be dedicated to.
When Bhrigu visited Vaikuntha, Vishnu's abode, the deity was absorbed in meditation with his feet being attended to by his consort, the goddess Lakshmi.
According to tradition, she arrived at the region of Varaha Kshetra and performed an intense penance for twelve years.
After the departure of the goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu left Vaikuntha and took his abode in an ant-hill on the Venkata Hill, under a tamarind tree and beside a pushkarini (lake).
Surya, the sun god, informed Lakshmi of these events and requested her to sell the cow and calf to the king of the Chola country, assuming the form of a cowherdess.
Vishnu, once again, emerged, and grew enormous, stopped the arrows from passing further and he cursed the king for not maintaining the dharma of his kingdom.
When he conducted yajna and was tilling the ground, he found a baby in a lotus flower and named her Padmavati and adopted her as his daughter.
Vishnu reincarnated as Srinivasa (or presented himself after penance in the ant-hill) as the son of the elderly woman Vakula Devi, who was the rebirth of Yashoda the deity Krishna's foster-mother.
When Srinivasa appeared in front of the elephant, it immediately turned round, saluted the deity, and disappeared into the forest.
About six months after this celestial wedding, Brahma and Shiva explained to Lakshmi regarding her consort's desire to be on the seven hills for the emancipation of mankind from the perpetual troubles of Kali Yuga.
Rangadasa was a staunch devotee of Vishnu and in the course of his pilgrimage, joined Sage Vaikhanasa Gopinatha, who was going up the Tirumala Hill for the worship of the deity.
Rangadasa raised a rough wall of stones around the deity, and started supplying flowers to Gopinatha every day for Vishnu's worship.
One day, Rangadasa was distracted by a Gandharva king and his ladies and forgot to supply flowers to Gopinatha for Vishnu's worship.
He would continue to serve the deity, construct a beautiful temple with a vimana and high surrounding walls, and thereby earn eternal glory.
In accordance with the directions given by Adivaraha to a forester, Tondaman constructed a prakaram (closed precincts of a temple) and dvara gopura, and arranged for regular worship of the deityas per Vaikhanasa Agama.
Discovery of the Venkateshvara deity is described as an act of divine providence: There was a huge anthill at Tirupati, and one day a local farmer heard a voice from the heavens asking him to feed the ants.
[citation needed] Sri Vaishnava tradition opines that the Rig Veda verse X.155.1 makes an indirect reference to the temple.
[1][2] One such translation goes as:[2] The person, devoid of wealth and vision, is implored to go to the hill which burns up all evil (vikata for Venkata) and drives away all obstacles to peace and prosperity.
The call of the rishi Sirimbitha has obviously not gone in vain.Thondaiman, ruler of Thondaimandalam(present day Kanchipuram and the surroundings),[3] is believed to have first built the temple after visualizing Vishnu in his dream.
The Sangam literature such as that of Silapadikaram and Satanar Manimekalai, dated between 500BC and 300AD, mentions Thiruvengadam (now named Tirupati) by the appellation "Nediyon Kunram" as the northernmost frontier of the Tamil kingdoms.
[5] Again, the appellation "Nediyon" for the deity occurs in the following verses: High on Vengadam's towering crest, with flowing streams in flood, Betwixt the effulgent glory, of shining Sun and Moon,
Puranic literature which was composed before the post-Mauryan and early-Gupta era also mentions Tirupati as the Aadhi Varaha Kshetra.
To resemble this even now a small empty chariot will move ahead of the processions of the Venkateshvara's processional deity Malayappa.
