Sri Venkateswara Temple

About Sri Venkateswara Temple:

• Venkateswara Temple is a landmark Vaishnavite temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. The temple is also known by other names like Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple, Tirupati Balaji Temple.
• The Temple is dedicated to Lord Sri Venkateswara, an incarnation of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared here to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga.
• It is one of the richest temple in the world in terms of donations received and wealth.
• Tirupati Laddu: The renowned sweet, Tirupati Laddu which is enriched with dried fruits and nuts is a registered Geographical Indicator (GI).

 

Architecture of  Sri Venkateswara Temple

• The Temple is constructed in Dravidian architecture and is believed to be constructed over a period of time starting from 300 AD.
• The Garbagriha (Sanctum Sanctorum) is called AnandaNilayam. The presiding deity, Venkateswara, is in standing posture and faces east in Garbha griha.
• The temple follows Vaikhanasa Agama tradition of worship. The temple is one of the eight Vishnu Swayambhu Kshetras and is listed as 106th and the last earthly Divya Desam.

 

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Q1) Which was the first product to receive a GI tag in India?

Darjeeling tea was the first product to get a GI Tag in India in 2004. The total number of GI tags in India comes to 432.The top five states holding the maximum number of GIs are Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. Of these, 401 are Indian-origin products, 31 foreign-origin.

Source: All India Radio