Sri Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala

Sri Venkateswara Swamy Vaari Temple, also called the Tirumala or Tirupati Balaji Temple, stands on Venkatadri, the seventh peak of the Tirumala Hills in the Seshachalam range. The seven peaks are taken to represent the seven heads of Adishesha. The deity, a form of Vishnu, stands facing east in the sanctum and is believed to guard people through the Kali Yuga. Tradition credits a Thondaman king with building the temple around 300 CE, and the Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas and Vijayanagara rulers later added to it.

Ramanujacharya reorganised its rituals in the 11th and 12th centuries. The temple is now run by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, with queue halls, a free meal complex and lodgings, and it receives more than 60,000 visitors a day.