One of the biggest Hindu shrines in

southern India, the Sri Puram Golden Temple, was consecrated here Friday in the
presence of over 30,000 devotees.
Being dubbed as 'golden temple', it is located in the backdrop a small range of
hillocks, about 180 km from Chennai. A spiritual leader who calls himself
Narayani Amma has built it at the cost of Rs.3 million.

"The Taj Mahal was built as an expression of love for a single person but the
Sri Puram Golden Temple stands for unconditional love for the entire humanity,"
says Amma, 31, who also goes by the name of Shakti Siddha.
The temple spans 100 acres and has a built-up area of 55,000 sq ft. The sanctum
sanctorum is covered with thin gold plates created out of 1.5 metric tonnes of
pure gold - giving the shrine its name.
The temple itself is shaped like a star, reminding many of the foreign devotees
present in sizeable numbers of the Jewish symbol.

"We know it is also the sign of the universal goddess - Lakshmi," says William,
who gives only one name and says he is of Canadian origin.
The steps that lead to the innermost section are laid with polished black and
grey granite from the neighbouring South Arcot and Dharmapuri districts. A cubic
metre of black granite is priced at 0. So is the grey stone called "Paradiso"
because of its wavy patterns of violet with the colour of iron. And this too has
been used in large quantities.
"If we had built a hospital, factory, educational institution or a business, it
would have ended up serving a small community. But now, Amma's temple will sow
the seeds of goodness in the hearts of everyone who visits here," Amma, clad in
ochre robes, says in Tamil.
"For every mother, nursing a slightly ill child is a challenge because the
medicine is usually bitter and hence needs a sugar coating. Once the medicine
goes in, all is well with the young one again. Similarly, we have created your
golden temple - a materialistic sign to attract people."
There are more than 300 signboards of simple messages, which are meant to lead
devotees to wisdom. And this wisdom is aimed at helping each visitor become a
better human being.

Amma has spent millions on charity - including hospitals and helping the
physically challenged. He also claims to have renovated over 600 temples in the
area at a cost of Rs.30 million.

The temple has been built over the last six years with over 400 masons working
 on it. Well-known craftsmen Subbiah Sthapathi of Kanchipuram and Srinivasa
Sthapathy were responsible for the civil works and the ornate gold leaf inlay

TirumalaTemple Entrance

Outside view of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple.

Location of main shrine

Venkateshwara's abode is in the Venkatam hills (the hills are more often referred to as
ThiruVenkatam) near Tirupathi. Thus, the main temple of Venkateshwara is the Tirumala
Venkateswara Temple. The Tirumala temple is believed to be the richest of all the
temples in the world. The temple is located in Andhra Pradesh (southern India) in
Chittoor district. It is around 500 km from Hyderabad , 150 km away from Chennai and
250 km away from Bangalore

The Tirumala Hill is 3200 ft above sea level, and is about 10.33 sq miles in area. It
comprises seven peaks, representing the seven hoods of Adisesha, thus earning the name,
Seshachalam. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri,
Vrushabadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. The sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara [3] is
located on the seventh peak, Venkatadri (Venkata Hill), and lies on the southern banks of
Sri Swami Pushkarini. The temple complex comprises a smaller traditional temple
building along with a number of modern queue and pilgrim lodging sites. There are
several legends associated with the manifestation of the Lord in Tirumala.

The varied names ascribed to the main deity are Balaji, Srinivasa, Venkateswara and
Venkatachalapathy. The goddess Sri or Lakshmi (Vishnu's consort) resides on the chest
of Venkateswara, and thus he is also known by the epithet Srinivasa (the one in whom Sri
resides). Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Padmavathi reside on his either chests. The deity
is considered the Kali yuga varada, that is 'the boon-granting Lord of Kali yuga' (the
fourth and final age of the Hindu cycle of ages). The temple is held in particular
reverence by the Vaishnava sect of southern India, known as the Sri Vaishnava.

For worshippers, the deity Venkateswara symbolises goodness. When people travel to
Tirupati, they chant "Yedu Kondala Vada Venkataramana Govinda Govindaa" (in
Telugu).

With his conch he creates the cosmic sound from which the creation has manifested.And
with his disc he destroys ignorance and ego in the beings,thus liberating them. Lord
Venkateswara is believed by followers to be a very merciful deity form of Vishnu, being
the fulfiller of every wish made to him by the devotees.

The Holy mantra chanted is Om Namo Venkateshaya. "The Venkateswara Suprabhatam",

the morning recital of prayers and songs of awakening, is written by Prativadi
Bhayankaram Annan of Kanchipuram.[4] Several composers composed beautiful kirtanas
about Lord Venkateswara, the most notable amongst them being Tyagaraja and
Annamacharya, who composed mostly in Telugu. Annamacharya or Annamayya is a
legendary devotee of Lord Venkateswara and composed songs almost exclusively about
the deity.

The Seven Hills

The seven hill represent the Saptarishi. They sometimes called the Sapathagiri. Hence the
Lord is named Saptagirinivasa. Following are the seven hills in order.

• Vrushabadri ( Hill of Nandi, the vahana of Lord Shiva)

• Anjanadri ( Hill of Lord Hanuman)
• Neeladri ( Hill of Neela Devi) - When Lord Balaji was hit by a shepard on his
head, a small portion of his scalp becomes bald. There is no hair growth over
there and this is noticed by a Gandharva princess Neela Devi. She feels "such an
attractive face should not have a flaw". Immediately she cuts a portion of her hair
and with her magical power she implants it on his scalp. Then Lord Balaji notices
her sacrifice as hair is the beautiful aspect of Female, he promises her that all his
devotees who come to his abode should render their hair to him and she would be
the recipient of all that hair received. Hence it is believed that hair offered by the
devotees is collected by Neela devi.
• Garudadri ( Hill of Garuda, the vahana of Lord Vishnu)
• Seshadri ( Hill of Sesha, the dasa of Lord Vishnu)
• Naraynadri ( Hill of Lord Vishnu)
• Venkatadri ( Hill of Lord Venkateswara)

The Ganpati Temple on the coast is the main attraction for Hindu devotees. And since the
town itself isn't easy to get to, the beache remains clean and the water clear. The Ganpati
Temple is reconstructed in special Rajasthani style stones and look, and attracts
thousands of Hindus from all over India.

A nearby place called Paawas is known for its spiritual importance.

Malgund - Birthplace of Kavi 'Keshavsut' the famous Marathi poet

Malgund is famous as the birthplace of famous marathi poet 'Kavi Keshavsut' he was
born here in 1866. He is termed as a poet who heralded the dawn of modern Marathi
poetry. There is a very beautiful monument at Malgund dedicated to his work and also a
museum where you can find information on most of the modern day poets of Marathi
language. The Memorial is a real treat for people who are interested in Marathi literature.
Reaching there

beach at GanpatiPule

Ganpati temple

Sunset at the Ganapatipule beach

The town is easily accessible from the port city of Ratnagiri, which also has a railway
station and an airport.

By Road: While moving towards Ratnagiri, on Mumbai Goa National Highway No. 17
(NH-17), after Sangameshwar a small village placed on this highway is Nivali. From
Nivali one has to take right turn for Ganapatipule (32 km). Alternatively, one can
continue on NH-17 till Hathkhamba (Nivali - Hathkhamba: 4km) and then take a right
turn to go to Ganapatipule. Ample number of State Transport buses are available from
Ratnagiri bus depot. Frequency is good for fast journeys. Ganapatipule is also connected
with other cities by state transport buses.

By Rail: There is no railway station at Ganapatipule. One has to get down either at
Ratnagiri station or at Karbude. All the express and local trains stops at Ratnagiri, being a
city. Karbude is a small village and only passenger trains will stop. You may also
Disembark at Sangameshwar and take a bus to Ganpatipule