Welcome to Adiyen Sri Ramanuja Dasan !
" Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha !"
10. Q.: Is Lord Venkateswara worshipped prior to Kaliyuga. Or in other words, when did the worshipping of Lord started at tirumala. When did Lord Venkateswara arrived to Tirumala hills. In Kaliyuga or prior to that.
Ans .: Based on the inscriptions available on the walls of Tirumala Temple we can assume that Lord Venkateswara has selfmanifested himself at the start of the Kaliyuga. The ancient Tamil Kavyams like 'Tolkappiam' (1st century BC), Silappadhikaram, Ahanaru (1st BC) have references abt Tirumala Temple as Vengadam. In the Venkatachala Mahatyam it is said that On a Bhadrapada Sukla Dwadasi,Sravana Nakshatra, Monday, Siddha Yogam Lord has came to Tirumala Hills. So worship has started at the start of the Kaliyuga and there has a reference in Venkatachala Mahatyam that a Vaikhanasa Priest by name Gopinatha Deekshitha found this idol in an Ant hill and with the help of Rangadasa (Raja Tondaman in his next incarnation) cleaned the area and started worship. The Vaishnavaite poets Alwars of 3rd - 7th century BC have sung songs praising Lord Venkateswara. Though this is not a satisfactory explanation we can assume from the known facts that clearly at the start of Kaliyuga only one knows about Tirumala Temple.
11. Q.: I have seen Vimana Venkateswara swamy in temple on main sanctrum. Can you please tell the details of same. Who installed it? what is the significance? All other detials may please be mentioned.
Ans .: In Vaikhanasa Bhagavat Shasthram 'Vimanam' is also considered to be as sacred as the sanctum. The Sanctum, Vimanam, Bali Peetham(near Dwajasthambham), Archaka are four main areas of concern in daily worship. So the daily Aradhana , worship is performed as in the case of deity and all the rites that are performed to deity is also performed to Vimana. The idol of Venkateswara on the 'Ananda Nilaya Vimanam' in the Agamic sense has the priority wat I described above. Several idols has to be placed on Vimanam as prescribed in Agama. But here the prominence of Vimana is highlighted due to a legend.
Vyasa Raaya or Vyaasa Tirtha one of the great saints of Madhwa philosophy is the Raja Guru of Srikrishna Deveraya. He got the name Vyaasa Rayalu after he has been in the Raja Simhasanam of Srikrishna Devaraya for a few minutes to protect him from an Astrological effect. Vyaasa Raya has performed Aradhana for 12 years at Tirumala Temple to this idol of Lord Venkateswara Swamy on the Ananda Nilayam.
There is a legen behind this. At one time in the past (Date is not clearly known, but it could have happened in the era of Vyaasa Raya), The Tirumala Temple has been closed due to non availability of Vaikhanasa Archakas. At that time due to a great epidemic all the Vaikhanasa Priests were died (or something else) and only a Pregnant Lady of Vaikhanasa community survived. So the Temple remain closed. At that time Lord Venkateswara ordered Vyaasa Raaya in a dream that , to perform worship to the idol on the Vimana(As nobody other than Vaikhanasa Archakas are entitled to touch and offer puja to the main idol in the Sanctum) till the Vaikhanasa boy who is abt to born from that Survived Vaikhanasa Lady. Any Vaikhanasa to be allowed for worship to the Lord has his Upanayanam performed and he must be acquainted with the rituals(that means he has to study the Agama). For this the ideal time is 7 yrs. So why Vyaasa Raya performed 12 yrs worship? this vaikhanasa boy studied Vaikhanasa Agama after his Upanayanam at 7yrs for 5 yrs. Then Lord Venkateswara ordered Vyasaraya swamy now to handover the temple keys to this boy as now he can perform all the rituals to the almighty.
So this is the main reason in tirumala that the Vimanam has got such a preference.
Jai Srimannaryana !
Thanks for your valuable time. Visit our web site again for more information and latest updates.