The Venkateswara Temple on the Tirumala hills is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, and is one of the 108 Divya Desams. The article describes it as Dravidian architecture. Development is believed to have begun around 300, the sanctum walls may date to the 8th or 9th century, and inscriptions on the outer wall date from 966 to 1013. A gold-plated three-story vimanam, the Ananda Nilayam, covers the sanctum, and three concentric compound walls surround it.
The Tirumamani Mandapam was built in 1417, and Krishnadevaraya installed his statue on January 2, 1517. About 640 inscriptions in four languages record gifts. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has managed the temple since 1933.
Daily pilgrims average above 60,000, and the temple draws about 24 million visitors a year. General darshan is free, and the Alipiri Mettu footpath is open around the clock.
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