The first temple at Tirumala Tirupati was built by King Thondaiman, Tamil ruler of the ancient Thondaimandalam. To pay back the loan, devotees from all over India visit the temple and donate money.
Īs per the Purana, a loan of one crore and 11.4 million gold coins was sought by Balaji from Kubera for his marriage with Padmavathi. History Puranas Īccording to Varaha Purana, during Treta Yuga, Rama resided here along with Sita and Lakshmana on his return from Lankapuri. Tirupati (Tirumala) is referred to as Pushpa-mandapa in Acharya-Hridayam (13th century). In Dravidian translation, Tiru means the sacred or Goddess Lakshmi and pathi means abode or husband. Tirupati has been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under Smart Cities Mission by Government of India. For the year 2012–13, India's Ministry of Tourism named Tirupati as the "Best Heritage City". It is the second biggest city in Rayalaseema after Kurnool. It is the seventh most urban agglomerated city in the state, with a population of 459,985. As of 2011 census, it had a population of 287,035 making it the 9th most populous city in Andhra Pradesh. Tirupati is a municipal corporation and the headquarters of Tirupati (urban) mandal and Tirupati (rural) mandal and of the Tirupati revenue division. It is one of the eight Swayam vyaktha kshetras dedicated to Vishnu. Located 750 km southwest of state's executive capital Visakhapatnam, the city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is referred to as the "Spiritual Capital of Andhra Pradesh". Tirupati ( / ˈ t ɪ r ʊ p ɒ t ɪ/ ( listen)) is a city in Chittoor district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.