Venkateswara, is an avatar of Vishnu and is the presiding deity of the Tirupati temple. The richest Hindu temple by far. Venkateswara literally means "Lord of Venkata". The word is a combination of the words Venkata (the name of a hill in Andhra Pradesh, India) and isvara ("Lord"). In this Balaji iconography he is depicted with the ornate towering crown, and the plethora of garlands. From beneath the layers of which his feet could be seen. The Lord’s image has four arms, the upper two being carved to hold the chakram and the conch; the chakram and the conch are not integral parts of the main idol. The upper right arm holds the Sudarshana Chakra; the upper left arm holds the Panchajanya, the conch of Lord Vishnu which is blown by Him in times of war. The lower right hand of the Lord is in the Varada Hasta pose, while the lower left hand is in the Katyavalambita pose. Actually the fingers of the left hand rest on the left thigh, with the thumb of the hand almost parallel to the waist line. The pillars and arch that define His altar have been finished with remarkable attention to detail, a sharp-tusked kirtimukham (a swallowing fierce monster face with huge fangs, and gaping mouth) graces the zenith of the arch, a gruesome, awe-inspiring guardian of the threshold.
