The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Vol. I v1.c21.112

v1.c21.112

9. After this re-transfer of Venkata's capital to Chandrgiri, his extraordinary devotion to the god Venkatesa at Tirupati was naturally revived, perhaps with greater zeal and ardour. The excellence of the rock of Tirupati, which we have several times spoken of, is sung in the Venkatesvara Prabandha Baila Mahima. The temple is stated to be near the famous mythic mount Meru, where the gods hold their assembly ². According to the legend, Vishnu himself once became incarnated here ³. If we are to believe the Vaishnava literature, Tirupati, dedicated at its foundation to Vishnu, became later on a temple of Siva till the time of Ramanujacharya the reformer, who once more converted it into a Vaishnava shrine. To effect this he is said to have agreed with the Saiva priests of the temple to leave in it at night a conch and a discus, which are the insignia of Vishnu, and a trident and a small drum which are those of Siva; the temple was then closed; and on its being re-opened, it was found that the image had assumed the two first symbols. Accordingly Vishnu's cult was restored ⁴. The great temple was built by one of the Yadava Princes in or about A. D. 1048.