The Sri Varahaswamy Temple, also called Bhu Varahaswamy Temple, is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

dedicated to the god

Varaha Varaha (, , "boar") is the avatar of the Hinduism, Hindu god Vishnu, in the form of a wild boar, boar. Varaha is generally listed as third in the Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu. In legend, when the demon Hiranyaksha steals ...

, situated at hill town of

Tirumala Tirumala is a Hindu religious temple town in Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the neighbourhoods of the Tirupati city. The town is a part of Tirupati Urban Development Authority and located in Tirupat ...

Tirupati Tirupati () is a city in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Andhra Pradesh and serves as the administrative headquarters of Tirupati district. It is known for its significant religious and cultural heritage, being home to th ...

, located in

Tirupati district Tirupati district () is one of the eight districts of Rayalaseema region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.The district headquarters is located at Tirupati city. This district is known for its numerous historic temples, including the Hindu ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

state,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The temple is situated on the northern premises of Venkateshvara Temple, Tirumala, on the north-west corner of Swami Pushkarini. This temple is believed to be older than the Venkateshvara shrine.

Religious significance

As per local Hindu

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

, after saving

the earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all of Earth's water is ...

from the

asura Asuras () are a class of beings in Indian religions, and later Persian and Turkic mythology. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the wor ...

Hiranyaksha Hiranyaksha (, ), also known as Hiranyanetra () was an asura king as per Hindu mythology. He is described to have submerged the earth and terrorised the three worlds. He was slain by the Varaha (wild boar) avatar of Vishnu, who rescued the ...

, Vishnu's boar

avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...

stayed on this hill on the northern bank of Swami Pushkarini. Hence Tirumala Hills is also referred to as ''Adi Varaha Kshetra''. In the beginning of the present Yuga ''

Kali Yuga ''Kali Yuga'' (Devanagari: कलियुग), in Hinduism, is the fourth, shortest, and worst of the four '' yugas'' (world ages) in a '' Yuga cycle'', preceded by '' Dvapara Yuga'' and followed by the next cycle's '' Krita (Satya) Yuga''. I ...

'', Varaha donated land to another form of Vishnu -

Venkateshvara Venkateswara (, ), also known as Venkatachalapati, Venkata, Balaji and Srinivasa, is a Hindu deity, described as a form or avatar of the god Vishnu. He is the presiding deity of Venkateswara Temple, Tirupati. His consorts, Padmavati and Bhud ...

on his request. As a gratitude, Venkateshvara offered the right of first bell, puja and

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(food offering) to Varaha before they were offered to him. This is being followed as a tradition even today. Devotees are prescribed to have

darshana In Indian religions, a ''darshan'' (Sanskrit: दर्शन, ; 'showing, appearance, view, sight') or ''darshanam'' is the auspicious sight of a deity or a holy person. The term also refers to any one of the six traditional schools of Hind ...

("sight") of Varaha before Venkateshvara. It is believed that the pilgrimage to Tirumala will not be complete without having a darshana of Varaha.

History

The temple was renovated by Pedda Tirumalacharya in the year 1535 CE.

Administration

The temple is part of Tirumala Venkateshvara Temple and is being administered by

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is an independent government trust in India managed by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. The trust primarily oversees the operations and finances of the richest and the most visited religious center Venkatesw ...

Architecture

The rock temple is situated in the Northern bank of Swami Pushkarini and is accessed from North Mada street of Venkateshvara Temple.

Ritual practices

Daily rituals are held as per the

Vaikhanasa Vaikhanasa () or Vaikhanasagama () is a tradition of Hinduism that primarily worships Vishnu (and his associated avatars) as the Supreme God. The tradition draws its name from the philosophy propounded by its founder, Sage Vikhanasa. Vaikhana ...

Agama. The Chakrasnanam event during annual brahmotsavams, Vaikuntha Ekadashi, and Rathasaptami, are held in the mukha mandapa of Varahaswamy Temple. Varaha Jayanti is also celebrated.

External links

Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams

References

{{Hindu temples in Andhra Pradesh Abhimana temples of Vishnu Tirupati Hindu temples in Tirupati district Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Varaha temples