The following rare old photographs show how Tirupati and Tirumala looked before the temple became rich and famous. You can see from the pictures that in those days it was a peaceful place without huge queues and crowds.
Today over 40 million people visit the temple each year, and you can expect to wait up to 5 hours in the queue before having darshana of the main Balaji deity for a few moments. In ancient literature, Tirupati is mentioned as Aadhi Varaha Kshetra. The Puranas associate the area with Lord Varaha, one of the Dashavataras of Lord Vishnu. Venkatadri is believed to be a part of Mount Meru, which was brought to the earth from Vishnu’s abode of Vaikunta by his mount Garuda. The seven peaks represent the seven heads of Adisesha. Tirumala is also one of the 108 divya desams.