The Lord of Vengadam: A Historical Perspective

by S.R. Ramanujan

The temple for the Lord of Vengadam in Tirumala (Andhra Pradesh, India) is one of the richest places of worship in the entire world with ever-increasing popularity, the footfall of devotees on the Seven Hills touching a whopping figure of seventy thousand on weekdays and one hundred thousand during the weekends. The Temples annual budget hovers around 25 billion rupees. This world record to fame and riches is not without its flip side. The temple has become the focal point for a variety of controversiessome created by the political class, some by historians with an axe to grind, and some more by Hindus with a sectarian outlook. The never-ending dispute is over the identity of the idol as a result of the age-old conflict between the worshippers of Siva and Vishnu, the two most important deities of the Hindu pantheon. Taking their cue from this, Neo-Buddhists joined the fray with the claim that the temple was a Buddhist shrine and that it was converted into Vishnu temple by wily Brahmins. The book aims to unravel the mystery over the history of the temple, providing a historical perspective to the issue and thus establishing the real identity of the Lord, which is indisputably that of the Vishnu.

345 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 13, 2014

Reviews

[Anantha Narayanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good and exhaustive account that proves (not to me, but to neo-Buddhists) that Vengadam is not a Buddhist or Jain shrine.

[Raj Kazhiyurmannar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is an interesting and sincere attempt by the author in trying to dispel misconceptions about the identify of Lord of Tiruvengadam (Tirupati) and rebut current claims from some quarters (extreme neo-buddhists) and reemphasize the historical debates which occurred many centuries ago to prove the temple is a Vaishnavite Shrine.

Anyone interested in history and/or curious about Tirupati history will like this book.