Sapthagiri
| Sapthagiri | |
|---|---|
 Sapthagiri | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Venkata |
| Elevation | 980 m (3,220 ft) |
| Coordinates | 13°40′59″N 79°20′49″E / 13.68306°N 79.34694°E |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Seven Hills |
| Native name | Edukondalu (Telugu) |
| Geography | |
  Sapthagiri Location within Andhra Pradesh  Sapthagiri Location within India | |
Country | India |
State | Andhra Pradesh |
Rivers | Swarnamukhi |
Settlement | Tirupati |
Sapthagiri (lit. 'seven hills'), is a hill range in the Seshachalam Hills of the Eastern Ghats in the Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises seven peaks including Venkatadri, which houses the renowned Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala.
Geography
[edit]Sapthagiri is a hill range in the Seshachalam Hills of the Eastern Ghats in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh.[1] Spread over an area of 26.8 km2 (10.33 mi2), the hills consists of seven peaks–Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabhadri, Narayanadri, and Venkatadri, and the highest point is located about 980 m (3,220 ft) above sea level.[1][2][3]
The hills are situated in the Seshachalam Hills biosphere and houses the Venkateswara National Park. The region features deciduous forests and is home to several endemic flora and fauna.[1] The Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala, dedicated to Venkateswara, an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, is located atop Venkatadri.[3] The temple rites were consecrated by Ramanuja in the 11th century, and was expanded by the Cholas, Pandyas, and the Vijayanagara Empire in the later Middle Ages.[2][4]
Geology
[edit]The Eparchaean Unconformity at Tirumala is declared as a National Geological Monument by the Geological Survey of India. It represents a meeting point in the geological history of the Earth where Archean gneisses formed over 2.5 billion years ago meet sedimentary rocks of the Proterozoic era of the Kadapa sub-group. The Silathoranam is a natural arch formation located in the hills. The 8 m (26 ft) tall and 3 m (9.8 ft) wide rock arch was formed by consistent erosion of the underlying quartzite rock, and is dated to more than 1.5 billion years old.[1]
Etymology
[edit]Sapthagiri literally means "seven hills" in Sanskrit, and represents the Saptarishi (seven seers) in Hindu mythology.[5][6] The names of the seven hills are derived from Hindu mythology.[6][7]
| Hill | Named for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vrushabhadri | Rishabha | Mount of Shiva |
| Anjanadri | Anjaneya | Son of Anjana |
| Neeladri | Niladevi | Consort of Vishnu |
| Garudadri | Garuda | Mount of Vishnu |
| Seshadri | Shesha | Dasa of Vishnu |
| Narayanadri | Narayana | Epithet of Vishnu |
| Venkatadri | Venkateswara | Form of Vishnu |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Natural Heritage of Tirumala Hills". UNESCO. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Sri Vari Temple, Tirumala". Government of Andhra Pradesh. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- 1 2 Krishna, Nanditha (2017). Hinduism and Nature. Penguin Random House. p. 209. ISBN 978-9-38732-654-5.
- ↑ "Tirumala Temple". Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 13 September 2007.
- ↑ Krishna, Nanditha (2000). Balaji-Venkateshwara, Lord of Tirumala-Tirupati: An Introduction. Vakils Feffer & Simons. p. 17. ISBN 978-8-187-11146-7.
- 1 2 Nair, Shantha (2015). Sri Venkateswara. Jaico Publishing House. p. 32. ISBN 978-8-18495-445-6.
- ↑ Varadachary, T. (1999). Tirumala, the Panorama of Seven Hills. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. p. 39.
External links
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| History and mythology |  | |
|---|---|---|
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| Festivals | ||
| Geography and geology | ||
| Architecture | ||
| Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams | ||
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