VENKATESHWARA TEMPLE

Welcome to one of the country's most sacred sites, the Sri Swami Venkateshwara Vaari temple! It's dedicated to Venkateshwara, one of the forms of Vishnu who is said to have appeared to save humans from Kali Yuga, the cycle of "demons and dark forces" according to the Mahabharata and Hindu astrology. And this cycle would coincide with the current period... Consequently, the deity is sometimes referred to as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam.

Thousands of pilgrims flock to the Venkateshwara temple every day to receive a darshan. In Hinduism, darshan corresponds to a vision, a moment of grace, like a ray of light filtering through the clouds, for example. They wait in long queues, for hours on end and in scorching heat, to reach the sanctuary. The wait can last between 2 and 8 hours before they can pray in front of the statue and be gently ejected by a member of the security staff. On a normal day, almost 50,000 pilgrims are channelled, housed and fed by the 14,000 people who manage the temple. Some give a few rupees in offering, unable to afford more, while the more affluent drop wads of cash into the ballot boxes. At this rate, it's no wonder that Venkateshwara is the temple in the world that receives the largest donations from devotees!

More than the temple itself, it's the spectacle of religious fervor that's impressive. South Indians are renowned for their sense of devotion, which surpasses all understanding here. You'll come across many shaven-headed pilgrims, men, women, children and old people alike. It's a gesture of thanks to the god for a granted wish, or a sign of surrendering one's ego. Despite the (op)pressing crowds, there's a great calm and serenity about the sanctuary, which exudes a mystical atmosphere of chanting and incense fragrance.

The plethora of souvenir vendors and the possibility of buying special darshan leave a bitter taste in the mouth, however. For a few hundred rupees and an official declaration of your faith in Vishnu, you can get a ticket.

As you can see, more than the temple's Dravidian architecture, which is quite classical, it's the permanent spectacle, not only at the temple but throughout the town of Tirumala, that makes the trip worthwhile. During the Brahmotsavam festival (September/October), 500,000 pilgrims file past daily, creating kilometers of queues.