Govindaraja Swami Temple in Tirupati quite near to the Railway Station and Tirupati Bus Stand. The highlight of the temple is its outer Gopuram which is visible from a quite a distance. This temple is dedicated to Sri Govindaraja Swamy brother of Lord Venkateswara.
Govindaraja Swami Temple has two main shrines dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna.
- The shrine to the north is Sri Govindaraja.
- The shrine to the south is Sri Parthasarathi (Lord Sri Krishna as the charioteer of Arjuna).
The idols of Rukmini and Satyabhama (Krishna's wives) are also found here. The original temple had Sri Parthasarathi on the main altar. 'Sri Ramanuja' added the Sri Govindaraja deity around 1130 AD.
The presiding deity lord Govindaraja swamy is lord Vishnu, lying on Ananta. He is consider as brother of Lord Venkateswara.
This temple is the biggest temple in Tirupati Town and attracts lakhs of pilgrims. A large number of inscriptions found in this temple and in the Sri Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala help us to trace its history. The earliest of the records belong to the year 1235 A.D when the Chola King, Raja Raja III was ruling the place. In the year 1239 A.D the queen of Viranarasinga of Yadavaraya made a gift for decoration of the chariot and carrying necessary repairs. The temple came in for greater importance in 1506 A.D. during the rule of Saluva dynasty of Vijayanagar and from then onwards different rulers in a different way developed the temple.
It is built by the Nayakas, the successors to the Vijayanagar empire. Govindaraja Swami Temple has a remarkable outer gopuram and an inner gopuram. The temple has an impressive outer gopuram. The inner most gopuram is the earliest one, dating from the 14th-15th centuries and has carvings that depict scenes from Ramayana and Lord Krishn's life.
Few parts of the inner shrine date back to the 9th and 10th centuries. The original temple had Sri Parthasarathi on the main altar. 'Sri Ramanuja' added the Sri Govindaraja deity around 1130.
Very interestingly, at the shrine the celestial bath (Abishekam) is not conducted to the presiding deity perhaps first of its kind in India, a source said that the deity of Lord Sri Venkateshwara that is in lying posture is made of Clay. The TTD that manages the temple too has been contemplating to give golden touch to the deity.
It has an imposing seven-storey 'Gopuram' built in 1628, which can be seen from a distance. To the left side of the entrance first Gopuram (gate) of the temple dedicated to Lakshmi is found. She is seated on a lotus in her four-armed form, holding a lotus in each of her upper hands, while her other two hands are in poses of 'Abhaya', fearlessness, and 'Varada', benediction.
Another nearby shrine is dedicated to Sri Ramanuja and on the left of the second entrance is a 'Kurma' Deity, Lord Vishnu as a tortoise. There are carvings depicting the pastimes of the Ramayana and Lord Krishna's pastimes on the second gopuram.
- Govindaraja Swami temple in Tirupati very near to the Railway Station and Tirupati Bus Stand.
Sri Govindaraja Swamy is the elder brother of Lord Balaji and his temple-- Sri Govindaraja Swamy Temple makes for a prominent landmark in Tirupati town. The distinct feature of Sri Govindaraja Swamy Temple is the imposing Gopuram (elaborately carved entrance gateway) which can be seen from a distance. One thing is for sure that you will not regret a trip there. But I'd suggest you to check a few more places to visit in chittoor as well before planning the trip there.
nice content