Venkateswara

Venkateswara (, ), also known as Venkatachalapati, Venkata, Balaji and Srinivasa, is a deity, described as a form of the god Vishnu. He is the presiding deity of Venkateswara Temple, Tirupati. His consorts, Padmavati and Bhudevi, are avatars of the goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu.

Key facts

Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.type: Hindu
Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.name: Venkateswara
Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.Devanagari: वेङ्कटेश्वरः
Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.image: Malekallu Tirupathi-balaji, Arsikere.jpg
Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.caption: Venkateswara at the ISKCON Bangalore
Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.deity_of: God of the Seven HillsGod of Tirupati
Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.venerated_in: Sri Vaishnavism
Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.affiliation: Form of Vishnu
Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.temple: Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala
Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.mantra: Om Namo NarayanayaOm Namo Venkateshaya

~14 min read

Article

18 sections

Contents

Etymology and other names
Legends
Birth
Marriage to Padmavathi
Srinivasa turns into Venkateswara
Iconography and symbolism
Literature
Worship and festivals
The five deities
Festivals
Sri Venkateswara Brahmotsavams
Vaikuntha Ekadashi
Rathasapthami
Hymns
Temples
See also
References
External links

==Etymology and other names== Venkateswara literally means "Lord of Venkata". The word is a combination of the words Venkata (the name of a hill in Andhra Pradesh) and iśvara ("Lord"). The Venkatam hill is mentioned in Tamil Sangam literature dated to 300 BCE. According to the Brahmanda and Bhavishyottara Puranas which are dated to 500 CE to 1000 CE, the word "Venkata" means "destroyer of sins", deriving from the Tamil words vem (sins) and kata (power of immunity).