Annasamy Anna - The Story of Venkateshwara Swami

 Annasamy Anna says, "All gods have mothers, they say, or how else would the gods be born ? " He tells stories about the brothers of Balaji of Tirupathi, his wives and the discord over his comments on his wife's natal family. his penchant for a Muslim lady and the wooing and marriage and the subsequent temple to this Muslim bride of the Lord of the Seven Hills within the temple precints ...

Annasamy Anna, "The Tirupathi Venkateshwara Swami’s mother was Perooramma. All gods have mothers, they say, or how else would the gods be born ? The Gangammas are the sisters of Venkateshwara Swami.

The eldest brother of Venkateshwara Swami is Govindarajulu Swami who has a temple at the foothills. The other brothers include Pensil Narasimhalu, Varadaraju Swamy, Siddeshwara swamy, Veerabhadra swamy, Varalu Swamy and others. Lakshmi Narasimhalu swami is on the footpath. Maha Vishnu is took the avataram of Venkateshwara Swamy and was in an anthill, over which a cow used to come daily and offer milk from its udders. Venkateshwara Swamy’s wife was Alamelu Mangamma. Once when her mother had sent some gifts (sangyam), Venkateshwara Swami commented that it seemed that her mother did not even have curry leaves. At that Alamelu Mangamma went away saying she would get curry leaves, and stayed at the base of the hills, refusing to return. So her temple is there to this date.

Venkateshwara Swami another time saw the Muslim Bibi Nancharamma, and wanted to marry her. He set out with his brother Govindaraju Swamy. They pretended to be labourers, and when Bibi’s brothers came looking for workers for constructing the house, they went with them. Every day they would raise the wall, and every evening push it down to ensure that they would continue to have work. One day they asked the brothers what they would give to the bridegroom’s party when their sister was married. They were told beef, and then when they asked in turn, they answered ‘Pork’. Hearing this the brothers ran away, as pork is very inauspicious for Muslims. The god married Bibi Nancheramma. Her idol is also there within the temple precints.

The god is non vegetarian, and he goes hunting. It seems any number of slippers get worn out as he runs across the hills hunting. But the whole temple town in ‘pure vegetarian’."

5Raghunandan Tr, Madhu Kopparam and 3 others