The Mystery Behind Lord Venkateshwara's Closed Eyes

Tirupati Balaji temple is one of the most visited pilgrimages, not just in India but across the world. The temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara, believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. This temple is located in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. Tirupati Tirumala temple is popularly known for its miracles. While there are many legendary stories related to this holy place, one fascinating story is regarding the covered eyes of Lord Venkateshwara. Read on to know the reason why Lord Balaji’s eyes are covered.

Raj Park Hotel, Tirupati - Facade of Sree Venkateshwara temple

The Powerful Gaze

According to popular belief, Lord Venkateshwara is known to reside in Tirupati Tirumala temple as an abode in the modern age (Kalyug). Lord Venkateshwara is known to have massive eyes with a powerful gaze. Devotees cannot look directly into the eyes of the Lord as they radiate cosmic energy. This is the reason why Lord Venkareshwara eyes are closed with a white mask. But every Thursday, the eyes are relatively small, so the mask is moved, and the devotees can glimpse the deity’s eyes.
 

Donations

The Tirumala temple gets vast donations every year from devotees. The offerings are in the form of money or even gold. There are majorly two legends that follow the tale of Lord Venkateshwara. One of the legends explains the enormous donations made by the devotees, and the other one explains the hair donations at the temple.
 

Hair Donations

According to folklore, Lord Vishnu followed Goddess Lakshmi to earth and settled inside an ant hill where a cow used to visit to give him milk. Upon knowing about the same, the angry owner tried to cut the head of the cow with an axe. The axe hit Lord Vishnu and cut some of his hair. Goddess Neela Devi immediately cut a lock of her hair and kept it on Lord Vishnu’s wound, healing it. Moved by her gesture, Lord Vishnu said that whoever donates their hair will be rewarded, and ever since, it is believed that hair donation at Tirupati brings prosperity and wealth to the devotees.
 

Wealth Donations

Another folklore says that lord Vishnu followed Goddess Lakshmi to earth, who was born princess Padmavati, the daughter of a wealthy king. To organise their wedding with grandeur, Lord Vishnu took a massive loan from Lord Kuber, the God of wealth. As per popular belief, the deity is still repaying the debt, and the devotees provide donations to the temple to help him repay the loan.

While visiting Tirupati, you can book your stay with Raj Park Hotel Tirupati to enjoy a comfortable stay with the convenience of travel. Our hotel is located just a kilometre away from the foothills of the Tirumala temple, making it easier for the pilgrims to reach the temple on time. Enjoy rooms with spacious hill views and waterfall views at our hotel!