It’s confluence of religions at Tirumala temple

TIRUPATI: The ���richie rich��� Lord Venkateswara is also considered as the ���universal Lord��� as devotees belonging to all religious faiths ��� from Muslims to Christians to Sikhs and Jains ��� throng Tirumala, especially during the annual Brahmotsavams. It���s a confluence of all-religious people praying to Lord Venkteswara.
Day after day the devout rush is increasing and the million dollar question is what makes Tirumala the most popular pilgrim destination.���The temple allows every one who have faith in Hindu religion unlike some of the major temples where entry for non-Hindus is strictly prohibited such as Guruvayoor temple of Kerala and Puri temple of Orissa,��� says a TTD official.
Mehaboob Bhasha hailing from Anantapur told TOI that it was a ���double dhamaka��� for him and his family as he celebrated Id along with Brahmotsavams. Every year Bhasha���s family visits Tirumala on Garuda Seva day and has been following the tradition for the last two decades. But, owing to heavy rush this time, they couldn���t catch a bus to Tirumala.���My wife said with a broken heart that we may have to return home without the glimpse of Garuda Vahana Seva. But, I made it a point to reach Tirumala on foot, climbing the 3,661 steps covering 9 kms in five hours,��� Bhasha says, with a sense of fulfilment.
Eighteen-year-old Samuel Vimal Kumar, hailing from Kolar of Karnataka, believes Lord Balaji saved him from the exam blushes. ���I have exam phobia and I have always struggled hard to answer the question papers. Three years ago, I happened to see a poster of the Lord hanging on the wall in the exam hall and I prayed that I would visit Tirumala if I clear the exam. Well, I passed the exam with flying colours and since then I have become an ardent devotee of Lord Venkateswara,��� Samuel reveals.