Lord Balaji Tirumala

The Lord Balaji Temple Dome from far using my Telephoto lens. It is fully covered with real Gold Folks!
Lord Balaji is Krishna of North India. Same God you find in ISKCON people worshipping all over the world.

This is the richest God in India with a total collection in donation of more than Rs 1 crore per day.

One cannot take camera inside so you have to do with this from me. Do not think the temple is small. It is only the main dome from afar. The temple is a huge building and the temple city TIRUMALA is India's Answer to the Vatican City, except that the latter is treated as a country and this is just a place in a city called Tirupati in the state of Andhra Pradesh in a country called India.

The size of the Prasad or Offering to God tells it all !!
"Prasad" means  any food offered to God in worship. God is supposed to eat it and bless it. So you eat it later with reverence. Here it is the Famous TIRUPATHI (Tirupati) Laddu (sweet called "Laddu")

Ok. Here are some photos of the Temple City or Town - very much self sufficient with its own adminstration etc.

This was round. I had eaten a part before I remembered to take the Photo. This is not sweet but good! This is also got from the Temple.

Look at those solar panels. This town run by Tirumala Deva Trust (TTD or something like that) and feeds more than a lakh devotees free every day when there is peak rush. They also hve houses to house the devotees who can book their stay in advance. Max one day they can stay.

You have got to see the Laddu Counters to believe it. I went to the temple in the night paying VIP entrance fee of Rs 500/- (that itself is another story. as I said even in VIP category you are different types of VIP. - Basically here VIP means you are not free devotee and so you can avail one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening on Monday to Friday only when it is called VIP break- no free entrance allowed. Hence you get less rush. But do not fool yourself. I was lucky because this was exam time!

You even have a SUPERINTENDENT LADDU! IMAGINE the HR of this Organisation!! Maybe the so called HR professionals can take a leaf out this and learn something.

Here the Ratha or Chariot is taken and people can sit around and see.

This is the backside or behind.. or whatever...

They are offering Coconuts here. Hundi means? Well whatever you understand..