Tirumala Fact Sheet

1. Lord Sri Venkateswara, also known as Srinivasa, Balaji, and Veṅkaṭachalapati, made Tirumala his abode five thousand years ago.
2. Geologists tallied information with Hindu Puranas say the age of the Tirumala Hills is about 2100 million years.
3. The first temple at Tirumala Tirupati was built by King Thondaiman, Tamil ruler of the ancient Thondaimandalam, after he had a dream of Lord Vishnu. He is said to have built the original Gopuram (tower) and the Prakhara in the 8th century.
4. Krishnadevarayalu Mandapam or Pratima Mandapam:  by Sri Krishnadevarayalu himself installed these statues in front of Lord Sri Venkateswara on 2nd January 1517 A.D. and then onwards this mandapam has become famous as the Krishnadevarayalu mandapam.
5. The temple complex is spread over 16.2 acres of land.
6. Tirumala is located 3,200 feet (980 m) above sea level and covers an area of approximately 26.8 Sq.km (6,700 acres).
7. The Tirumala Hills are part of Seshachalam Hills range. The hills are 853 metres (2,799 ft) above sea level. The Hills comprises seven peaks, representing the seven heads of Adisesha. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. The temple lies on the seventh peak -Venkatadri, on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini, a holy water tank.
8. The Mackenzie manuscripts of 1801 have recorded the boundaries of the seven hills, spread over 250 sq km.
9. The most visited place of worship in the world
10. Pilgrims turn out was few hundred during 1930s; about 10,000 during 1960s.
11. At present visited by about 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily;
    On the annual Brahmotsavam, the number of pilgrims shoots up to 500,000+.
12. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) was established as a result of the TTD Act in 1932. Between 1843-1932,  Hathiramji Mutt, Tirupati managed temple's affairs.
13. The old ghat road was laid in 1944 and inaugurated by the then Governor of Madras, Sir Arthur Hope. It is 19 km in length. It has more than 36 hair pin bends. It is used for vehicles returning from Tirumala. Its construction was done by the reputed contractor Ganon and Dunkly and legendary engineer Mokashagundam Visvesvaraya also lent his know how for the construction of the first ghat road. The main factor behind the durability of the first ghat road was it was laid on the on the proven track i.e.  old bullock cart road from Tirupati to Tirumala  with gradual slope all along its route, making it easy and safe.
14. The new ghat road, which was opened in 1974, is for vehicles proceeding towards Tirumala, witnessed landslides due to downpour resulting in the closure of the road. The expansion of the rocks in the down reaches dislocates the rocks or boulders. The roots of the trees act as support which up to a limit but beyond that turn inimical, loosening the very soil affecting the positioning of the rocks. During rains, the cascading water from various directions on the hill slopes before it forms into small stream adds momentum to landslides.
15. Alipiri Metlu – The first and Ancient path starts from Alipiri and consists of a total 3650 Steps which makes a distance of 7 km.  
16. Srivari Mettu – It originates at Srinivasa Mangapuram. It is 4 kilometres long. This trail has 2025 steps and is shorter than Alipiri Metlu path. Srivari Mettu is a much older pedestrian path to the hill shrine than from Alipiri and is believed to have been used by legendary emperor Srikrishnadevaraya in the 16th century. According to TTD statistics (2010), the number of pilgrims using the Srivari Mettu is 3,500 on an average on normal days and 8,000 during weekends and festivals.
17. In 1934 that the first tenements were constructed on Tirumala. In 1950, choultries and individual cottages were built with donations from devotees and philanthropists.
18. The ever famous 300 year old “Tirupati Laddu” has global patent has its unique flavour & characteristics. From 1984, using  LPG one lakh laddus per day are being prepared by 150 cooks with the latest cooking technology. Another kitchen was added to make a total 1,70,000 laddus per day.During 2012-13, the following ingredients were used preparation of Srivari Laddu in Tirumala Temple (Figures in Metric Tonnes):
19. First Quality Rice 8,000; Sugar 7,200; Cashewnuts 700; Cardamom 80;
    Cow Ghee 3,400; Sugar candy 160; Raisins (kishmish) 350; Gram flour 3,600.
20. The annual income of the temple, including land revenue, stood at Rs.11 lakh in 1933, Rs.22 lakh in 1949 and Rs.2.5 crore in 1964, and in 2007 touched a whopping Rs.800 crore.
21. The TTD's annual budget for 2015-16 is of Rs. 2,530.10 crore.
22. There was no human settlement at Lower Tirupati until 1500 year. With the growing importance of Upper Tirupati a village is formed at the present day Kapilatheertham Road area and in the vicinity of Govindarajaswamy Temple which was consecrated and the village was grown into its present-day form around Govindaraja Swamy Temple which is now the heart of the city.
23. Top 7 States in domestic tourists (2010) (in millions) as per states tourism department:
    Andhra Pradesh 155.8; Uttar Pradesh 144.8; Tamil Nadu 111.6; Maharastra 48.5;
    Karnataka 38.2; Madhya Pradesh 38.1; West Bengal 21.1

Overview of the Tirumala Temple

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The most visited place of worship in the world

Visited by about 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily

On the annual Brahmotsavam, pilgrims exceed 500,000

65 years old video of Lord Sri Venkateswara Tirumala