Traditional Venkateswara (Telugu: వెంకటేశ్వరుడు, Sanskrit: वेङ्कटेश्वरः, IAST: Venkaṭeśvara), also known as Venkatachalapati, Venkata, Balaji and Srinivasa,[2] is a Hindu deity, described as a form or avatar of the god Vishnu.
He finally reached Vaikuntha and met Vishnu, who was absorbed in meditation with his feet being attended to by his consort, the goddess Lakshmi.
Lakshmi then departed from Vaikuntha, arrived at the region of Varaha Kshetra and performed an intense penance for twelve years, after which she was born as Padmavathi to Akasha Raja.
[12] After Lakshmi left, Vishnu went to Venkata Hill, sat in an anthill under a tamarind tree beside a pushkarini (lake), and started chanting the name of his wife, Mahalakshmi.
[13] He then 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.
Unhappy that she had been unable to attend Krishna's wedding to Rukmini, the deity promised that he would be reborn to her as a son, as Srinivasa.
[16] About six months after the celestial wedding, Brahma and Shiva explained to Lakshmi her consort Vishnu's desire to be on the seven hills for the emancipation of mankind from the perpetual troubles of Kali Yuga.
His disc is believed to annihilate evil, while the conch is presumed to produce the cosmic sound that puts an end to the world's ignorance.
[24] Skanda Purana extols the significance of worshipping this deity:[25] If people wish for perpetual happiness and kingdom in heaven, let them joyously bow down at least once to the Lord residing on Veṅkaṭādri.
Just as a well-kindled fire reduces firewood to ash in a moment, so also a visit to Veṅkaṭeśa destroys all sins.Venkateshwara, an aspect of Vishnu, is the presiding deity of the Tirupati temple.
[28] In the 12th century, Ramanuja visited Tirupati to settle a dispute that had arisen between the Shaivites and Vaishnavites regarding the nature of the deity set up in the Tirumala temple.
Ramanuja streamlined the rituals at Tirumala temple according to Vaikanasa Agama tradition, and introduced the recitation of the Naalayira Divya Prabandham.
He also set up the Tirupati Jeeyar Matha in 1119 AD, in consultation with Tirumalai Ananthalwan to institutionalise service to the deity and supervise the temple rituals.
During brahmotsavams the processional deity Malayappa along with his consorts SriDevi and BhuDevi, is taken in a procession in four mada streets around the temple on different vahanams.
[40][41] Ratha Saptami, is another festival, celebrated during February, when Venkateswara's processional deity (Malayappa) is taken in a procession around the temple on seven different vahanams starting from early morning to late night.
[45][44] The Dayashataka, a Sanskrit work containing ten decads, was composed by the philosopher Vedanta Desika in praise of the deity.