Dwaraka Tirumala / Chinna Tirupati – Eluru

About

Dwaraka Tirumala the great saint, Dwaraka who located the self-manifested idol of Lord Sri Venkateswara after severe penance in a Valmikam (anthill). This place is also called Chinna Tirupati.

According to some Puranas, the temple is popular even in Kruta yuga and is still attracting devotees. According to Brahma Purana, Aja Maharaja, the Grandfather of Lord Sri Rama also worshiped Lord Venkateswara for his marriage. On his way to the ‘Swayamvaram’ of Indumati, he passed by the temple. He did not offer prayers in the temple.

The bride Indumati garlanded him, but he had to face a battle with the kings who came to the Swayamvaram. He realized that the battle was thrust on him for ignoring the temple on the way. After realizing this, Aja Maharaja prayed to the Lord Venkateswara. Suddenly the kings stopped the battle.

It is a great wonder to see two main idols under one Vimana Sikharam. One idol is a full and complete statue. The other is a half statue of the upper portion of the form of the Lord. The upper portion of the form is a self-manifested idol located by Sage “Dwaraka”. The saints of the yore felt the prayers to the Lord are not complete without worshipping His holy feet.

So, the saints joined together and installed a full statue behind the self-manifested idol, to worship the feet of the Lord according to Vaikhanasa Agama. It is believed that the prayers to the smaller statue of the Lord will lead to Moksha, and the big form stands for Dharma, Artha, and the Kama.

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