Temple History:- There is ample literary and epigraphic testimony to  the antiquity of  the  temple of  Lord  Sri Venkateswara. All the great  dynasties  of  rulers  of  the  southern  peninsula  have  paid  homage  to  Lord  Sri Venkateswara in this ancient shrine. The Pallavas of Kancheepuram (9th century AD), the Cholas of  Thanjavur (a century later), the Pandyas of Madurai, and the kings and chieftains of Vijayanagar (14th - 15th century AD) were devotees of the Lord and they competed with one another in endowing the temple with rich  offerings  and contributions. It was during the rule of the Vijayanagar dynasty that the contributions  to  the  temple  increased. Sri Krishnadevaraya had statues of himself and his consorts installed  at  the  portals  of  the  temple,  and  these statues can be seen to this day. There is also a statue of Venkatapati Raya in the main temple.

After the decline of the Vijayanagar dynasty, nobles and chieftains from all parts of the country continued to pay their homage and offer gifts to the temple. The Maratha general, Raghoji Bhonsle, visited the temple and  set  up a permanent endowment for the conduct of worship in  the temple. He  also  presented  valuable  jewels  to  the Lord, including a large emerald which is still preserved in a box named after the General. Among the later  rulers who have endowed large amounts are the rulers of Mysore and Gadwal. After the fall of  the  Hindu  kingdoms, the Muslim rulers of Karnataka and then the Britishers took over, and many  of  the  temples  came  under  their supervisory and protective control.

In 1843 AD, the East India  Company  divested  itself  of  the  direct  management  of  non-Christian  places  of worship and native religious institutions. The administration of the shrine of Sri Venkateswara and  a  number  of estates were then entrusted to Sri Seva Dossji of the Hatiramji Mutt at Tirumala, and the temple remained under the administration of the Mahants for nearly a century, till 1933 AD.

In   1933,   the    Madras  Legislature  passed  a  special   act,  which    empowered    the    Tirumala    Tirupati Devasthanams(TTD) Committee to control and administer a  fixed  group  of  temples  in  the  Tirumala-Tirupati area, through a Commissioner appointed by the Government of Madras.

In 1951, the Act of 1933 was replaced by an enactment whereby the administration of TTDC was entrusted  to a Board of Trustees, and an Executive Officer was appointed by the Government . The provisions of the Act of 1951 were retained by Charitable and Religious Endowments Act, 1966.

Legend:- Sri Venkatachala Mahatmya is referred to in several Puranas, of which  the  most  important  are  the Varaha Purana and the Bhavishyottara Purana. The printed work  contains  extracts  from  the  Varaha  Purana, Padma   Purana,  Garuda  Purana,  Brahmanda   Purana,  Markandeya  Purana,  Harivamsa,  Vamana  Purana, Brahma Purana, Brahmottara Purana,  Aditya  Purana,  Skanda  Purana  and  Bhavishyottara  Purana. Most  of these extracts describe the sanctity and  antiquity  of  the  hills  around  Tirumala  and  the  numerous   teerthams situated on them. The legends taken from the Venkatachala Mahatmya and the Varaha Purana, pertaining to the manifestation of the Lord at Tirumala, are of particular interest. According to  the  Varaha  Purana, Adi  Varaha manifested Himself on the western bank of the Swami Pushkarini, while Vishnu  in  the  form  of  Venkateswara came to reside on the southern bank of the Swami Pushkarini.

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