Viral video shows Pune family donning 25 kgs of gold to visit Tirumala temple

A Pune family visiting the Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh's Tirumala has gone viral on the internet thanks to a video that showed them wearing approximately 25 kgs of gold jewellery to the temple.

The video was shared by PTI.

The video captures a family of four, two men in white vests and dhotis with thick chains around their necks, a woman in a golden saree with numerous pieces of jewellery and a child.

The family can be seen escorted by bodyguards and police as the video progresses.

The video has garnered over 1.9 lakh views, and more than 500 likes. It has also started some conversation around the actions of the family. Users on X had varied reactions. One user wrote, “Why this show-off in front of god.” “This is so insane,” chimed another.

The Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hills of Tirumala in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, believed to be an incarnation of the deity Vishnu. Devotees believe that Venkateswara appeared on the earth to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga. Thus, the place is also known by the name Kaliyuga Vaikuntha and the deity here is referred to as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam.

Other names of the temple are Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple and Tirupati Balaji Temple. The deity Venkateswara too is known by many other names such as Balaji, Govinda, and Srinivasa.

The Venkateswara Temple was built by Thondaman king and reformed periodically by Cholas, Pandyas and Vijayanagar. The temple is believed to be constructed over a period of time starting from 300 CE.

The Garbhagruha or the inner Sanctum Sanctorum of the temple is called Ananda Nilayam. The deity, Venkateswara, is in standing posture and faces east in Sanctum Sanctorum.