Sri Govindarajaswamy Temple is an ancient Hindu Vaishnavite temple situated in the heart of

Tirupati Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is re ...

city in

Tirupati district Tirupati district () is one of the twenty-six districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Andhra Pradesh state. The district headquarters is located at Tirupati city. Tirupa ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The temple was built during 12 century and was consecrated in the year 1130 AD by Saint

Ramanujacharya Ramanuja (Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmanuja; 1017 CE – 1137 CE; ; ), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and a social reformer. He is noted to be one of the most important exponents o ...

. The temple is one of the earliest structures in Tirupati and also one of the biggest temple complexes in Tirupati district. The Tirupati (down hill) city is built around this temple. The temple is currently administered by

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is an independent trust which manages the temples including the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh. The trust oversees the operations and finances of the richest and the most visited religious cen ...

Legend

It is believed that during invasion of

Govindaraja Perumal Temple The Govindaraja Perumal Temple, also called Thiruchitrakoodam, is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, situated in Chidambaram, a town in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The temple is inside the premises of the Thillai Nataraja Te ...

Chidambaram Chidambaram is a town and municipality in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on the banks of the Vellar River where it meets the Bay of Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Chidambaram taluk. The town is believed to be of si ...

, the Utsava murti (processional deity) was brought to

for safe keeping. The Utsava murti was taken back after the invasions.

History

Sri Govindarajaswamy Temple was consecrated in the year 1130 AD by saint

Ramanuja Ramanuja ( Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmanuja; 1017 CE – 1137 CE; ; ), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and a social reformer. He is noted to be one of the most important exponents ...

charya. However, there are structures inside the temple complex which belong to 9th and 10th centuries. Before Govindarajaswamy was consecrated as the presiding deity, Sri Parthasarathy Swamy was the presiding deity of the temple. Kotturu, a village at the foot of Tirumala hills, was moved to the vicinity of Sri Govindarajaswamy Temple which was later merged into city of

Presiding Deity

The temple is dedicated to Lord

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

, who is referred to as ''Govindarajaswamy''. The deity is in reclining yoga nidra posture, facing east, with his right hand under his head and left hand straight over his body. Sridevi and

Bhudevi Bhumi ( sa, भूमि, Bhūmi), also known as Bhudevi and Vasundhara, is a Hindu goddess who is the personification of the Earth. She is a consort of the god Vishnu. According to Vaishnava tradition, she is the second aspect of Vishnu's cons ...

, the consorts of Vishnu, are seated at the deity's feet. Before consecration of Govindaraja Swamy shrine, Sri Parthasarathi Swamy was the primary deity of the temple. In some texts, Govindaraja Swamy is mentioned as the elder brother of Venkateshwara (main deity). Govindaraja Swamy temple also has shrines of Padmavati Devi,

Swamy (Saint Ramanuja) and Andal near the entrance. There is a structure housing the Vishnu Avatars to the right side of the entrance as like common in other Vishnu temples.

Architecture

The temple is one of the huge temple complexes in Andhra Pradesh. A 50 m high, seven storied

Rajagopuram A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the Sout ...

was constructed on east entrance of the temple by Matla Anantaraja, a local chieftain. This structure has Ramayana scenes and portrait of Matla Anantaraja and his three wives carved onto the passage walls. Towards the west of Rajagopuram, there are two enclosures of the temple, arranged one behind the other. The outer enclosure hosts sub shrines of Pundarikavalli and Alvars. The inner enclosure hosts the main shrine of Govindaraja along with shrines of Krishna with his consorts, Andal. Towards south west corner of the inner enclosure, there is a shrine dedicated to Kalyana Venkateswara which had a mandapa with finely finished colonettes on the outerpiers and with central space lined with yalis projecting inwards. The pavilion in the middle had columns of grey green granite and wooden roof.

Administration

The temple at present is being administered by

Sub-Shrines

Sri Govindarajaswamy temple is a huge complex with many other sub shrines in it. Parthasarathy temple, Kalyana Venkateswara Temple are of more importance among the sub-shrines. There are also shrines dedicated to Pundarikavalli, Andal, Chakratalwar, Alvars, Lakshmi Narayana Swamy, Anjaneya, Tirumala Nambi, Bhashyakarla Swamy (Saint Ramanuja).

Parthasarathy Shrine

Kalyana Venkateswara Shrine

Gallery

File:Govindaraja brahmotsavams lightings.jpg, Govindaraja temple in lights during brahmotsavams File:Govindaraja on Pedda sesha vahanam.jpg, Govindaraja processional deity along with Sridevi and Bhudevi on Pedda sesha vahanam during brahmotsavams File:Unjal Mandapam of govindharaja Temple.jpg, Unjal Mandapam of govindharaja Temple File:Matla anantha Raju and his family at rajagopuram govindharaja Temple.jpg, Matlaanantha Raju and his family at rajagopuram govindharaja Temple File:A four pillared Mandapam in front of govindharaja Temple.jpg, A four pillared Mandapam in front of Govindaraja Temple File:Sri Govinda Raja Swamy Temple in Tirupati.jpg, Rajagopuram of the temple

References

External links

* {{Hindu temples in Andhra Pradesh Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Tirupati Hindu temples in Tirupati district Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams 12th-century Hindu temples Religious buildings and structures completed in 1130 Vishnu temples