ABSTRACT
Composed by fteenth-century Telugu poet Annamayya, this poem still echoes through the seven hills of Tirumala, which attract thousands of devotees each day from India and abroad. As described in the above verse, this place is surrounded by a huge mountain that extends for several miles. The deity that lives on this hill is popularly called “the God of Seven Hills”. North Indians call the deity “Balaji”; for south Indians, the deity is Sri Venkateswara and “the God Venkata of the Seven Hills” (Yedu kondala venakateswarudu in the local language Telugu). Although Sri Venkateswara is considered an avatra of Viu, and most of the practices and rituals at the temple re ect a tradition of r Vaiavism, a distinctive sect of Vaiavism that highlights the worship of r, the consort of Viu. The act of visiting Tirupati is an obligatory vow in return of some ful lled wish. The sectarian differences among the Hindus blur when it comes to the devotion to Sri Venkateswara. Some Muslims regard the consort of Sri Venkateshwara, Bibi Nancharamma, as properly worshipped within their Muslim religion and visit the deity to perform worship or to ful l their vows.
