BRAHMOTSAVAM SPECIAL_ TIRUMALA HUNDI- AKSHYA PATRA
Tirumala,September 21: The high brass vessel with white collared clothing and tied to roof to the four corners of the ceiling on the north east corner of Srivari Temple is the most watched location in Tirumala.At least two CC cameras and four guards are stationed on a 24×7 basis.
This is the Tirumala Hundi,the akshaya patra of TTD,which showers offerings from devout like a thunder shower every day,every hour and every second.In cash,gold,other kind including mobiles,electrical gadgets,what ever they want to donate after they experience the blissful darshan of Lord Venkateswara.
After having the darshan of the Lord, the devotees deposit their offerings to the Lord in this Hundi. This hundi is sealed with sealing wax not only by the TTD officials.While opening this hundi involve one devotee as an independent observer. ‘I got a darshan of only few seconds,but I feel blessed and want to donate everything to Lord” says Ms.Sita Shailaja Mudigonda, a resident of Hyderabad.
The Tirumala Hundi collections are a legend and set several records in the history of charity offerings by devout world over.The devotees do not count what they put in,but by the end of the day the collections grows into a huge mounds of currency,coins and items,which was replaced almost every two hours and took TTD staff many days to count.Daily collections shot up to crores on a regular scale and multiplied on special festivals and Brahmotsavams.
It is a record for centuries that the Srivari Hundi has ever been empty for even a second.It is always full to the brim and faithfully watched by guards and the CC cameras.The offerings made by devotees voluntary is a main source of the everlasting and massive free services and facilities undertaken by the TTD for the benefit of the devotees who now throng the temple shrine for almost 365 days in the year.’ There is no free day in Tirumala as thousands visit Tirumala even on week days. Most of the Hundi collections are untouched for routine expenditure but only for devotees services ‘ says the TTD Executive Officer, D Sambashiv Rao.
Puranic and Temple legends and fables indicate that Lord Venkatesswara had to borrow from Kubera , the lord of wealth in heaven for expenses of his wedding with Padmavati.Lord Kubera loaned him one crore and 11.4 million (11,400,000) gold coins and Viswakarma, the divine architect, created heavenly surroundings in the Seshadri hills for the wedding event.In their endearment to Lord Venklateswara devotees donate money in Venkateswara’s Hundi (donation pot) so that he can pay back his loans to Lord Kubera,say sthala Purana.
Legends also say that a Sri Chakra is placed under this hundi and hence the deity receives lot of wealth in the form of offerings.Though the temple complex was modified many times for creating easy passage to the devotees,the location of the hundi on the north east corner of the sanctum (Ananda Nilayam)has not been changed ever.
ISSUED BY THE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER TTDs TIRUPATI