There is ample literary and epigraphic testimony to the antiquity of the temple of
Lord Sri Venkateswara.
All the great dynasties of rulers of the southern peninsula have paid homage to
Lord Sri Venkateswara in this ancient shrine. The Pallavas of Kancheepuram
(9th century AD), the Cholas of Thanjavur (a century later), the Pandyas of Madurai,
and the kings and chieftains of Vijayanagar (14th - 15th century AD) were devotees
of the Lord and they competed with one another in endowing the temple with rich
offerings and contributions.
It was during the rule of the Vijayanagar dynasty that the contributions to the temple
increased. Sri Krishnadevaraya had statues of himself and his consorts installed
at the portals of the temple, and these statues can be seen to this day. There
is also a statue of Venkatapati Raya in the main temple.
After the decline of the Vijayanagar dynasty, nobles and chieftains from all parts
of the country continued to pay their homage and offer gifts to the temple. The
Maratha general, Raghoji Bhonsle, visited the temple and set up a permanent
endowment for the conduct of worship in the temple. He also presented valuable
jewels to the Lord, including a large emerald which is still preserved in a box named
after the General. Among the later rulers who have endowed large amounts are
the rulers of Mysore and Gadwal.
After the fall of the Hindu kingdoms, the Muslim rulers of Karnataka and then the
Britishers took over, and many of the temples came under their supervisory and
protective control.
In 1843 AD, the East India Company divested itself of the direct management of
non-Christian places of worship and native religious institutions. The administration
of the shrine of Sri Venkateswara and a number of estates were then entrusted to
Sri Seva Dossji of the Hatiramji Mutt at Tirumala, and the temple remained under the administration of the Mahants for nearly a century, till 1933 AD.
In 1933, the Madras Legislature passed a special act, which empowered the
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams(TTD) Committee to control and administer
a fixed group of temples in the Tirumala-Tirupati area, through a Commissioner
appointed by the Government of Madras.
In 1951, the Act of 1933 was replaced by an enactment whereby the administration
of TTD was entrusted to a Board of Trustees, and an Executive Officer was
appointed by the Government .
The provisions of the Act of 1951 were retained by Charitable and Religious
Endowments Act, 1966.
| Temple Legends |
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 Sri Venkatachala Mahatmya is referred to in several Puranas, of which the most important are the Varaha Purana and the Bhavishyottara Purana.
The printed work contains extracts from the Varaha Purana, Padma Purana, Garuda Purana, Brahmanda Purana, Markandeya Purana, Harivamsa, Vamana Purana, Brahma Purana, Brahmottara Purana, Aditya Purana, Skanda Purana and Bhavishyottara Purana. Most of these extracts describe the sanctity and antiquity of the hills around Tirumala and the numerous teerthams situated on them.
The legends taken from the Venkatachala Mahatmya and the Varaha Purana, pertaining to the manifestation of the Lord at Tirumala, are of particular interest.
According to the Varaha Purana, Adi Varaha manifested Himself on the western bank of the Swami Pushkarini, while Vishnu in the form of Venkateswara came to reside on the southern bank of the Swami Pushkarini.
One day, Rangadasa, a staunch devotee of Vishnu, in the course of his
pilgrimage, joined Vaikhanasa Gopinatha, who was going up the Tirumala
Hill for the daily worship of Lord Venkateswara. After bathing in the Swami
Pushkarini, he beheld the lotus-eyed and blue-bodied Vishnu beneath a
tamarind tree. Vishnu was exposed to the sun, wind and rain and was only
protected by the extended wings of Garuda.
Rangadasa was astounded by the wonderful sight. He raised a rough wall
of stones around the deity, and started supplying flowers faithfully to
Gopinatha everyday for Vishnu's worship.
One day, Rangadasa was distracted by a Gandharva king and his ladies.
Consequently, he forgot to supply flowers to Gopinatha for Vishnu's worship.
The Lord then revealed Himself and told Rangadasa that He had been testing
the latter's continence, but Rangadasa had not been steadfast and had
succumbed to temptation.
However, the Lord accepted and appreciated Rangadasa's devoted service
to Him till then, and blessed Rangadasa that he would be reborn as an
affluent ruler of a province and would enjoy the earthly pleasures. He would
continue to serve the Lord, construct a beautiful temple with avimana and
high surrounding walls, and thereby earn eternal glory.
Rangadasa was reborn as Tondaman, the son of the royal couple, Suvira and
Nandini. Tondaman enjoyed a pleasurable life as a young man. One day, he
set out on a hunting expedition on the Tirumala Hill, and with the help of a forester,
saw Vishnu under the tamarind tree. Tondaman returned home, deeply affected by
the vision of Vishnu.
Tondaman later inherited his father's kingdom, Tondamandalam. In accordance
with the directions given by Adi Varaha to a forester, Tondaman constructed a
prakaram and dvara gopura, and arranged for regular worship of the Lord
(according to Vaikhanasa Agama).
In the Kali Yuga, Akasaraja came to rule over Tondamandalam. His daughter
Padmavathi was married to Venkateswara. The marriage, officiated by Brahma,
was celebrated with great pomp and splendour.
| Krishna Deva Raya Mandapam |
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 After passing through the Padi Kavali Maha Dvara, you will find yourself in an open mandapam called the Krishna Deva Raya Mandapam or Pratima Mandapam.
This mandapam gets its name from the pratimas or bronze portrait icons of the Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya and his two consorts, Tirumaladevi to his left, and Chinnadevi to his right. All three icons face the main shrine, with their hands joined in supplication.
In the southern wing of the Mandapam, is a statue of Venkatapathi Raya of the Aravidu dynasty, who ruled over Chandragiri around 1570 AD. To its side are stone statues of Achyutha Raya, who succeeded Krishna Deva Raya to the throne, and his wife Varadajiamma.
This Mandapam is believed to be built in later Vijayanagara times (early half of the 16th century). This Mandapam is full of exquisitely beautiful pictures of the Vijayanagara period like, Rama breaking the bow, Rama Pattabhishekam and Krishna Leela.
Sri Vaishnava symbols or the Urdhvapundras flanked by a conch and disc are carved at the top of the two main pillars of the Mandapam.
| Padi Kavali Maha Dwara |
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 The Padi Kavali Maha Dwara or Outer Gopuram stands on a quadrangular base.
Its architecture is that of the later Chola period. The inscriptions on the gopuram belong to 13th century. There are a number of stucco figures of Vaishnava gods like Hanuman, Kevale Narasimha andLakshmi Narasimha on the gopuram.
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 Aina Mahal |
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The Aina Mahal is on the northern side of the Tirumala Raya Mandapam. It consists of two parts - an open mandapam in the front consisting of six rows comprising six pillars each, and a shrine behind it consisting of an Antarala and Garbhagriha.
It has large mirrors which reflect images in an infinite series. There is an unjal in the middle of the room in which the Lord is seated and festivals conducted.
| Dhwajasthambha Mandapam |
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The Dhwajasthambha Mandapam houses the Dhwajastambha (a wooden flagpole encased in gold) and the Bali Peetha (seat for food offering).
A peculiar feature of the Mandapam is that it is covered (unlike in other temples) to facilitate the conduct of rituals in all weather conditions.
The relative positions of the Dhwajasthambha and the Bali Peetha are in accordance with Vaikhanasa Agamic traditions. |
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| Nadimi Padi Kavali |
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The Nadimi Padi Kavali or Inner Gopuram is the inner entrance to the temple, which is reached through the Dhvajasthambha Mandapam.Its wooden doors are covered with silver plates, and therefore it is also referred to as the Vendi Vakili. The doors are smaller than that of the Outer Gopuram.
There are numerous inscriptions on the inside walls, the earliest relating to the Pandyan monarch, Jata Varma Sundarapandya, who became king in 1251 AD. |
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| Vimana Pradakshinam |
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The Vimana Pradakshinam is the commonly-used circumambulatory pathway around the central shrine. The vimana over the sanctum can be seen from this pathway.
Pilgrims who have taken a vow of performing Angapradakshinam perform it in the Vimana Pradakshinam.
| Garbha Gruha |
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 The Garbha Gruha or sanctum is where the main idol of Lord Sri Venkateswara resides.
The idol stands majestically in the Garbha Gruha, directly beneath a gilt dome called the Ananda Nilaya Divya Vimana.
This exquisitely-wrought idol called the Mulaberam, is believed to be self-manifested, as there has been no known sculptor possessing the capability to sculpt idols so proportionately and beautifully. Further, no human being is known to have installed it in the shrine.
Ordinarily, the Lord wears a gold kiritam which has a large emerald embedded in front. On special occasions, he is adorned with a diamond kiritam.
On his forehead, the Lord has a thick double patch of upwroughtnamam drawn with refined camphor, which screens his eyes. In between the two white patches is a kasturitilakam.
His ears are bedecked with shining golden makara kundalas. The fist of His raised right hind hand is implanted with a gem-set chakra, and the corresponding left fist with the sankhu. The slightly outstreched front right hand, has its fingers pointing to His lotus feet, as the only recourse to His devotees to attain oneness with Him and enjoy eternal bliss. His front left hand is akimbo to assure His devotees of protection, and to show that the samsara sagara is only hip-deep if they seek His refuge.
His body is clothed with a pitambaram tied with gold string, and a gold belt to which are attached tiny, jingling gold bells. He is adorned with precious ornaments. He has ayajnopavita flowing down cross-wise from His left shoulder. He bears Sri Lakshmi Devi on His right chest and Sri Padmavathi Devi on His left chest. He bears Nagabharanam ornaments on both shoulders.
His lotus feet are covered with gold frames and decked with clinging gold anklets. A strong curved belt of gold encompasses his legs.
During Abhishekam, we can have darshan of Goddess Lakshmi.
The Ananda Nilaya Divya Vimana was covered with gilt copper plates and surmounted with a golden vase, in the thirteenth century, during the reign of the Vijayanagara king, Yadava Raya.
Pilgrims are not allowed to enter the Garbha Gruha (beyond Kurasekara path)
| Sri Ramanuja Shrine |
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 Adjacent to the Sangeeta Bhandara in the northern corridor of the Vimana Pradakshinam is the shrine of Sri Ramanuja, the great Vaishnava Acharya. It is also called the Bhashyakara Sannidhi.
Ramanuja was the architect of Tirupati and the father of the Sri Vaishnava community there. He designed the Nandanavanams or flower gardens of the temple. He was mainly responsible for managing the worship procedures and other affairs of the Sri Venkateswara temple.
The shrine was built around the 13th century. It overlooks the western end of the Tirumamani Mandapam. The Pandyan emblem of two fish and a hook is carved on the wall next to the entrance.
The right hand of the stone image of Ramanuja is held in the gesture of exposition (vyakhyana mudra), and the left hand in the form of boon bestowal (varada hasta), or of holding a book (pustaka hasta).
The shrine figures prominently during the festival of Adhyayanotsavam, which is a typical Pancharatra observance. Special worship is conducted in this shrine during Gandhapodi Utsavam and Bhashyakara Utsavam. The utsava murthi of Ramanuja is taken in a grand procession to meet Malayappa near the Padi Kavali.
Sampangi Pradakshinam
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The path for circumambulating the temple is called a pradakshinam. The main temple has three prakarams. Between the outermost and middle prakarams is the second pathway for circumambulation known as the Sampangi Pradakshinam. Currently, this pathway is closed to pilgrims.
The Sampangi Pradakshinam contains several interesting mandapams like the Pratima Mandapam, Ranga Mandapam, Tirumala Raya Mandapam, Saluva Narasimha Mandapam, Aina Mahal and Dhvajasthambha Mandapam.
| Ranga Mandapam |
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 Ranga Mandapam, also called the Ranganayakula Mandapam, is located in the south-eastern corner of the Sampangi Pradakshinam. The shrine within it is believed to be the place where the utsava murtiof Lord Ranganadha of Srirangam was kept during the 14th century, when Srirangam was occupied by Muslim rulers.
It is said to have been constructed between 1320 and 1360 AD by the Yadava ruler Sri Ranganadha Yadava Raya. It is constructed according to the Vijayanagara style of architecture.
| Potu |
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 The Potu or main kitchen where the food-offerings for the main temple are prepared, is to the south of the Varadarajaswami shrine.
Inside the Potu, there is a small shrine dedicated to Sri Maha Lakshmi, who is also called Potu Amma (lady of the kitchen) or Madapuli Nachiyar. She is identified with Vakulamalika, who was, according to the Puranas, sent by Varahaswami to be the house-keeper of Sri Venkateswara, when he resided on the hill. Vakulamalika is said to have arranged Lord Sri Venkateswara's marriage with Padmavathi.
In reality, she is regarded as Sri Maha Lakshmi, and is worshipped as such. She is worshipped during Varalakshmi Vratam, in the month of Sravana.
There is a similar icon of Sri Maha Lakshmi in the Padi Potu, another kitchen located in the Sampangi Pradakshinam.
Rice prasadam is prepared in the inner Potu, while other Panyarams like laddus, vadas appamsetc., are prepared in the Padipotu.
| Ramar Meda |
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 Ramar Meda, which means 'the elevated platform for Rama', used to house the icons of Rama, Sita and Laxmana. These icons have since been moved to the sanctum.
The images of Vishvaksena and Garuda are the utsava murthis of their respective sub-shrines.
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| Sri Yoga Narasimhaswami Temple |
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 The sub-temple for Sri Yoga Narasimhaswami, facing the west, is located in a mandapam in the north-eastern corner of the firstprakaram. Yoga Narasimhaswami is also known as Girija Narasimhaswami.
The idol of Yoga Narasimhaswami is sculptured according to the Sastras. He is seated with two hands on his knees, and girdled by the Yogapatta.
A ceremonial bath (Tiru-Manjana) is given to the idol in the sanctum on Saturdays; and on the fourteenth day of the bright half of the month of Vaisakha (according to the lunar calendar),Swati Nakshathram the idol is specially worshipped on account of Narasimha Jayanti.
Vaikuntam Queue Complex
The entrance for darshan is through the Vaikuntam Queue Complex. The complex is a series of inter-connected halls that leads to the main temple. An efficient queue system ensures that pilgrims move in an orderly fashion through the Queue Complex, towards the main temple.
The halls in the Queue Complex are clean, spacious and airy.TTD provides a wide range of facilities in the Queue Complex:
- Food is provided for the waiting pilgrims free of cost.
- Milk, Coffe & Tea provided for waiting pilgrims free of cost.
- Medical aid
- Sale of photographs, calendars and other TTD publications
- Toilets
- Closed Circuit Television, through which devotional programmes and music are relayed
- Cloak rooms near the Vaikuntam Queue Complex entrance
- Places where footwear can be deposited, free of cost (at the entrance)
There are officers to look after the facilities in the Vaikuntam Queue Complex, regulate the queues and attend to complaints.
Sarvadarsanam
Sarvadarsanam means 'darshan for all'. The timings for Sarvadarsanam are different on different days of the week. Please refer the weekly temple programme for the timings.
On normal days, about 18 hours are allotted for Sarvadarsanam and on peak days, it is open for 20 hours.
Around 50,000 pilgrims visit the main temple every day.
Special Entry Darshan (Seeghra Darshan)
The Seeghra Darshanm facility is introduced 0n 21-09-2009 to provide quick Darshan for the Pilgrims. The cost of the Ticket is Rs.300/- per pilgrim. The tickets will be issued at VQC-I in a separate queue line with 4 counters, after taking the tickets, the pilgrims are directly allowed for Darshan. Seeghra Darshan tickets will be issued on all the Sarva Darshan timings.
The darshan timings are the same as that for Sarvadarsanam.
Special Entry Darshan Timings ( Seeghra Darshan )
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| MONDAY | 7:00 AM TO 5:00 PM |
| TUESDAY | 8:00 AM TO 2:00 PM |
| WEDNESDAY | 9:00 AM TO 2:00 PM |
| THURSDAY | 9:00 AM TO 5:00 PM |
| FRIDAY | 9:30 AM TO 9:00 PM |
| SATURDAY | 7:00 AM TO 9:00 PM |
| SUNDAY | 7:00 AM TO 9:00 PM |
1. Divya Darshan facility is provided for pedestrian who come on foot to Tirumala through Gali Gopuram or Srivari Mettu.
2. Bio-metric counters are established on these foot paths, to facilitate free darshan, free accommodation (P.A.C) and free food facilities at Tirumala.
Sudarshan token System
The Sudarsanam token system was introduced to minimise the waiting time for Sarvadarsanam, Special Darshan and other paid darshan/sevas. Some of its features: The tokens are available Rs.50/- token at the
1.Second Choultry (behind the Railway Station),
2.Bhudevi Complex,
3. Alipiri Tollgate,
4.Sreenivasam in Tirupati,
5.Srivari Sannidhi, Tirupati,
6. RTC Bus stand in Tirupati,
7.TTD Information centre ,Renigunta (opposite to the Renigunta Railway Station).
The time of darshan is indicated on the tokens.Pilgrims can enter the Vaikuntam Queue Complex at Tirumala at the time indicated on the tokens. . As this system saves on waiting time, it provides pilgrims with enough time to visit temples in the vicinity like Sri Govindarajaswami Temple and Kapila Teertham at Tirupati, Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple at Tiruchanur and Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swami Temple at Srinivasa Mangapuram.To help TTD keep a track of the number of pilgrims and ensure their smooth flow, one token is issued per head. Collective tokens for groups are not issued.Sudarshan tokens to a tune of 5000 perday, Tuesday and Wednesday 2000 perday will be issued from 05:00am
Some precautions for you to take:
- Collect your Sudarsanam token only from TTD-run counters. Tokens issued by others are not valid.Do not exchange tokens.
- Do not trust touts.
Special Darshan for Physically disabled and Aged
This special darshan is arranged for the physically challenged Persons/ Old aged people / Heart patients / Ostomy patients through P.H.Gate, Mahadwaram, Sri T.T., Tirumala in three slots every day i.e. 10:00A.M., 03:00P.M. and 10:00P.M. If necessary, such pilgrims can be accompanied by an attendant.
The daily sevas performed at Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple are given in chronological order.
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Sevas Performed for the Main Deity
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Seva
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Reporting Time
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Ticket (INR) |
No. of Persons allowed
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Prasadam/
Bahumanam
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02:00 hrs
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02:30
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Daily
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120.00
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One
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2 smallladdus
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Thomala Seva
Note: Tickets will not be available for Monday for the months of May, June and July.
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03:00 hrs
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03:30
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Tue-Wed-Thu
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220.00
(max. no. of tickets issued=200)
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One
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2 small laddus
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Archana
Note: Tickets will not be available for Monday for the months of May, June and July.
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04:00 hrs
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04:30
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Tue-Wed-Thu
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220.00
(max. no. of tickets issued=200)
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One
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2 small laddus
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| Sevas Performed for the Utsava Murthi |
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Reporting Time
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Cost (INR)
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No. of Persons allowed
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Prasadam/
Bahumanam
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10:00 hrs
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1000.00
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One
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Two [2] Big laddus,Two [2] vadas,Five [5] small laddus, One [1] Cotton Upper, One Blouse Piece
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Reporting Time
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Cost (INR)
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No. of Persons allowed
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Prasadam/
Bahumanam
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13:30 hrs
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200.00
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One
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Two [2] small Laddus
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Reporting Time
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Cost (INR)
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No. of Persons allowed
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Prasadam/
Bahumanam
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11:30 hrs
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200.00
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One
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Two [2] small Laddus
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Reporting Time
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Cost (INR)
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No. of Persons allowed
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Prasadam/
Bahumanam
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14:00 hrs
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300.00
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One
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Two [2] small Laddus
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Reporting Time
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Cost (INR)
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No. of Persons allowed
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Prasadam/
Bahumanam
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17:00 hrs
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200.00
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One
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Two [2] small Laddus
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| Sevas performed for the main deity |
Ekantha Seva
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Reporting Time
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Cost (INR)
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Persons allowed
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Prasadam/
Bahumanam
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22:00 hrs onwards (after Sarvadarsanam)
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120.00
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One
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2 small laddus
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* Ekanta Seva will be performed as a private seva, if there is a heavy rush of pilgrims.
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