The Lord of the Sacred Hills
Veṅkaṭeśvara (Sanskrit: Veṅkaṭa = the sacred hill + Īśvara = Lord; 'the Lord of Veṅkaṭa') is the presiding deity of Tirumalai — the seven hills of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. He is also known as Śrīnivāsa, Bālājī, Govindā, and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthānam deity. Tirumalai is one of the 108 Divya Desams celebrated by the Āzhvārs and one of the world's most visited pilgrimage shrines. A numerical label such as '108th' is only a later ordering convention and does not make it the most recently sung Divya Desam.
The Standing Form
Veṅkaṭeśvara stands in nindra tirukkōlam. The upper hands bear śaṅkha and cakra; the lower right hand is in varada-hasta, directed downward toward the divine feet, and the lower left is in kaṭi-hasta at the hip. The mūlavar faces east and is richly adorned. Śrī Devī and Bhū Devī are integral to Tirumalai's theology and worship, but the central mūlavar icon should not be described as physically flanked by two consort icons.
Why Tirumalai?
The tradition holds that in Kali Yuga, Bhagavān chose to manifest at Tirumalai as the most accessible form of His grace — literally placing Himself at the top of a hill that anyone, regardless of birth or status, can climb. The Brahmotsavam here draws millions annually, and the darśana of Veṅkaṭeśvara is considered one of the most direct encounters with the living Lord available in the present age.