Geological survey at Thiruvengadam - The Holy Thirumala

Time and again it happens – when people write about Hinduism or about the glorious Temples, they feel they have the liberty to write anything.

The caption and few lines are irritating, to say the least and clearly expose the writer / publisher’s lack of faith.  God forgive them.

Thirumala is as strong as ever.  It has existed for Centuries and Lord Venkateshwara will provide all riches, all wealth and all goodness to all His believers.

Thiruvengadam, the abode of Lord Balaji would ever remain as the ‘Thilakam’ the shining glory of the whole Earth.  All that we need to do is to pray towards the Greatest Lord of Universe from wherever we are, think of HIM always and do good to humanity in Thy Name

The photo used in the article however was captivating and here it is

To fondly quote the words Swami Nammazhwar in this Thiruvaimozhi –

உலகம் உண்ட பெருவாயா! உலப்பில் கீர்த்தி யம்மானே!

நிலவும் சுடர்சூழொளிமூர்த்தி. நெடியாய்  அடியேனாருயிரே!

திலதம் உலகுக் காய்நின்ற திருவேங் கடத்தெம் பெருமானே!

குலதொல் லடியேன் உன்பாதம் கூடு மாறு கூறாயே.

திருமலையில் உறையும் திருவேங்கடவன் - மிக அற்புதமான,  தேஜோமயமான திவ்ய மங்கள ஸ்வரூபன். 

நெடிதுயர்ந்து நிற்கும் திருவேங்கடவன், உலகுக்கெல்லாம் திலகம் போன்றதான திருமலையிலே விளங்குகின்ற அந்த எம்பெருமானை குல பரம்பரையாய் நாம் ஆட்பட்டு, அவனது திருவடித் தாமரைகளையே என்றென்றும் சேர்ந்து இருக்குமாறு அவன் நமக்கு அருள் புரிய வேண்டும்.  திருமலை மென்மேலும் எல்லா வளங்களும் சிறந்து புண்ணிய பூமியாய் பல்லூழி ஊழி தொடர்ந்து நம் சமுதாயத்துக்கும், இவ்வுலகத்துக்கும் எல்லா நன்மையையும் பயக்கும்

Adiyen Srinivasa dhasan. 

On shaky ground: Fragile terrain threatens Tirumala temple

By A. Srinivasa Rao. Published: 20:50 GMT, 15 July 2012 |

Is the Lord Venkateshwara temple in Tirumala safe?

The temple authorities are concerned that the centuries- old temple atop the Tirumala hills in Andhra Pradesh might be facing a threat from soil erosion.

The fears stem from the collapse of the 500-year-old royal entrance of the Srikalahasti temple, 35km from Tirupati, in 2010.  While there is no reason to feel alarmed about the safety of the Lord Venkateshwara temple, to be sure that the structure is safe the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has commissioned a study of the geology of the Tirumala hills.

TTD manages the affairs of the richest shrine in the country. A private geological consultancy run by former experts from the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, is conducting the study, examining the hill soil, the structure of the temple and the terrain in and around the temple complex.

'We have done three studies of the soil structure. One, the upper layers of the earth up to 2m deep to detect loose layers, if any. Second, the earth's crust up to 20m deep. A third study was conducted a couple of days ago using ground penetrating radar (GPR) systems,' an official in TTD's engineering wing said.

It will be a while before the findings are announced as the results are still being studied. But an official closely associated with the exercise said some loose soil areas had been detected.  

'The main temple complex is located in a trough surrounded by hills. The soil in the area where pilgrims form queues has loose layers,' he said, adding that there was no reason to be alarmed.

'These studies are being done only as a precaution and to take preventive measures to ensure a Srikalahasti-type incident does not take place in Tirumala,' he said.  As part of the exercise, experts are also trying to determine whether the main temple is located on a solitary rock or straddles two adjacent rocks.  'It will be known from the GPR studies. Depending on the findings, we will take measures to protect the temple complex,' the official said.

Reports that the Geological Survey of India also carried out soil studies on Tirumala hills were denied by its officials.  'We did some studies for the TTD in the past to find out the stability of the Tirumala hill slopes and the possibility of landslides. Perhaps, the present consultants are making use of our earlier reports,' GSI technical officer L. Hareendranath said.

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