Historical Perspective of Tirupati (Tirumala) Venkateswara Temple Religious Pilgrimage in Modern India

Author(s)	Mr. Alok Kumar
Country	India
Abstract	This research article provides an in-depth historical and socio-cultural analysis of the Tirupati (Tirumala) Venkateswara Temple pilgrimage in modern India. Combining historiography, institutional analysis, and contemporary observations, the paper traces the temple’s mythic origins, medieval and early modern patronage, colonial and post-colonial legal transformations, and the contemporary administrative apparatus under the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). It examines ritual continuities and innovations, pilgrimage infrastructures, the devotional economy, social inclusivity and exclusion, environmental concerns, and the politics of temple governance. The study argues that the Tirupati pilgrimage is a dynamic site where tradition and modernity intersect, producing new forms of religiosity, organisational complexity and contested meanings about public faith, heritage, and development.
Keywords	Tirupati, Tirumala, Venkateswara, pilgrimage, TTD, modernization, temple economy, heritage
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 17, Issue 2, July-December 2026
Published On	2026-07-19

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Journal of Advances in Developmental Research