Chilkur Balaji Temple, popularly known as "Visa Balaji Temple'', is an ancient H

indu temple of Lord Balaji on the banks of Osman Sagar in Hyderabad. It is one o
f the oldest temples in Hyderabad built during the time of Madanna and Akkanna,
the uncles of Bhakta Ramadas.[1]
This temple has no hundi and neither accepts any money from devotees.[2] VAK Boo
ks also known as the Voice of Temples with religious news is available here. Thi
s is one of the special Temples in India with no green channel or privileges for
VIP's.[3] The only other such temple is the Jalabram temple in Virpur (Rajkot),
Gujarat. This temple fought and won the right to stay out of government control
. The only another such temple is "Ramanuj Kot", a temple in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
[1]
From the style, structure and appearance, it can be inferred that the temple was
built half a millennium ago. Set in sylvan surroundings, Chilkur Balaji Temple
attracts millions of pilgrims every year and is an ideal place for sequestered r
etreat and meditation. It enjoyed in the past, great days of pomp and glory.
The temple is one of the oldest in Hyderabad, having been built during the time
of Akkanna and Madanna, the uncles of Bhakta Ramdas. According to tradition, a d
evotee who used to visit Tirupati every year could not do so on one occasion owi
ng to serious ill health. Lord Venkateshwara appeared in his dream and said, "I
am right here in the nearby forest. You don't have to worry." The devotee at onc
e moved to the place indicated by the Lord in the dream and saw a molehill there
, which he dug up. Accidentally, the axe struck Lord Balaji's idol (covered by t
he molehill) below the chin and on the chest. Surprisingly blood started flowing
profusely from the "wounds", flooding the ground and turning it scarlet. The de
votee could not believe his eyes. He could not believe his ears when he heard a
voice from the air saying, "Flood the molehill with cow's milk." When the devote
e did so, a Swayambhu idol of Lord Balaji accompanied by Sridevi and Bhoodevi (a
rare combination) was found, and this idol was installed with the due rites and
a temple built for it.
Sri Balaji Venkateshwara, the Pratyaksha Daiva in Kaliyuga, is thus available at
Chilkur to shower blessings on His devotees who for any reason are unable to go
to Tirupati. Many devout worshippers flock to the temple to receive the blessin
gs of the Lord and his consorts throughout the year particularly during Poolangi
, Annakota and Brahmothsavams.
With the earnest desire to revive the former glory and importance of the temple,
the idol of Ammavaru was installed in 1963, the year after the Sino-Indian War.
After the unilateral withdrawal of Chinese troops, Ammavaru was given the name
of Rajya Lakshmi, signifying this welcome event. The unique feature of this idol
is that lotus flowers are held in three hands and the fourth hand is in a posit
ion towards the lotus feet which signifies the doctrine of Saranagathi.