T i r u m a l

 Of the many Divya Desams that Azhwars have sung about, Tiruvengadam, also known as Tirumalai, is very dear to most of them. Among the Azhwars, the Mudal Azhwars, comprising Poigai, Bhootha and Pey Azhwars, have conveyed their experience of the deity along with the descriptions of the natural beauty of the hills in many of their hymns, pointed out Sri A. K. Sundarrajan in a discourse. They affirm with great faith that a visit to Tirumalai to seek His grace is sure to be most beneficial.

The lord at Tirumalai is worshipped not only by the people of this earth but by the nityasuris of vaikunta and other celestial beings said poigai always. He described the many waterfalls, the animals, birds, plants trees and other residents of the hill the kuravars etc. The sacred shrine has the power to rid the sins of all the people.

Having authored 10 books on various facets of Tirumala and the glory of Lord Sri Venkateswara, city-based scholar K.V. Raghavacharya is considered an authority on anything pertaining to the hill shrine and its centuries-old history. His books — ‘Kshetra Vaibhavam’, its English equivalent, ‘The glory of Venkatadri’; ‘Venkateswara Vaibhavam’, its translated version, ‘The splendour of Venkateswara’; ‘Theertha Vaibhavam’, ‘Brahmotsava Vaibhavam’, ‘Venkateswara Suprabhata Vyakhyanam’, and ‘Venkateswara Ashtothara Sathanamavali Vyakhyanam’ (both commentaries) — have been published by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) and Sri Venkateswara Vedic University.

Awaiting print

Two other books — ‘Praacheenandhra Sahityamlo Venkateswarudu’ and ‘Naveenandhra Sahityamlo Venkateswarudu’ — are awaiting print. Mr. Raghavacharya, who will be turning 80 in a few months, has done painstaking research to bring out these titles. He has written 10,000 pages of manuscripts by referring hundreds of books.

Information on Lord Venkateswara is available in bits and pieces everywhere, but he has carefully gathered them from the Puranas, palm leaf manuscripts, government gazette, and British regime’s Bruce Code, to name a few.

After serving as Telugu lecturer for three decades at Sri Venkateswara College of Music and Dance, he joined the TTD’s Sri Venkateswara Sahitya Project in 2006, which later metamorphosed into Sri Venkateswara Sahitya Sarvaswamu (Encyclopaedia of Venkateswara literature).

The project picked up pace after it was shifted from the TTD’s Coordinator of Publications to SV Vedic University.

‘Venkatachala Mahatyam’

All his books are taken from ‘Venkatachala Mahatyam’, which is a compilation of Lord Venkateswara-related anecdotes and tales culled from the 12 Puranas.

“Venkatachala Mahatyam was first brought out in the year 1885 A.D. by Mahant Bhagawandas, the erstwhile custodian of the Tirumala temple. While the original work is preserved at Adyar library in Chennai, I have a copy with me,” Mr. Raghavacharya told The Hindu , brimming with pride. He is currently busy writing ‘Sri Ramanuja Charitra’ on the 120-year-old life history of Vaishnavite savant, who preached and practised unity by looking beyond castes.

The 300-page work is expected to be published during the saint’s millennial celebration in 2017.

Raghavacharya, who has 10 titles to his credit, is busy penning ‘Sri Ramanuja Charitra.