Popularly known as "Visa Balaji Temple", Chilkur Balaji Temple is an ancient temple deciated to Lord Balaji. The temple is situated on the banks of Osman Sagar in Hyderabad. It is one of the oldest temples in Hyderabad built during the time of Madanna and Akkanna, the uncles of Bhakta Ramadas.

Location Chilkur Balaji Temple Road, Chandanagar, Chilkur, Hyderabad, Telangana

Legend

According to the legends, once there lived a devotee who used to visit Tirupati Temple every year. However, he could not do so on one occasion due to serious health issues. He was very sad due to this. One day Lord Venkateshwara appeared in his dream and said, "I am right here in the jungle nearby. You don't have to worry". Next day the devotee went to the place indicated by the Lord in the dream and saw a mole- hill there. He started to dig the mole-hill. Accidentally, the axe struck Lord Balaji's idol covered by the mole-hill below the chin and on the chest, and surprisingly blood started flowing profusely from the "wounds", flooding the ground and turning it scarlet. The devotee could not believe his eyes when he saw this. At that time, the devotee heard a voice from the air which said, "Flood the mole-hill with cow's milk". When the devotee did so, a Swayambhu idol of Lord Balaji accompanied by Sridevi and Bhoodevi was found and this idol was installed with the due rites and a temple was built there for it.

Architecture 

Chilkur Balaji Temple is an ancient temple. The architecture of the temple suggests that it was built almost 500 years ago. The temple was built during the time of Madanna and Akkanna, the uncles of Bhakta Ramadas. The temple structure is small and the temple has a small colorful Gopuram along with the golden flagstaff. The door jamb of the temple is in silver with Vaishnavi Devi carved at the top. The arch inside the temple is built in Rajasthani style.

Culture 

Telangana State has long been a meeting place for diverse languages and cultures and often called as South of North and North of South. It is also known for its Ganga-Jamuna Tehzeeb and the capital Hyderabad as a miniature India. The Telangana culture is a mixture of Telugu traditions and Persian traditions from the Mughals and Nizams.Telangana is a great place for arts and crafts with many astounding handicrafts.

Darsan Dresscode 

Devotees are advised to dress appropriately. However, devotees, including women, have to wear handloom apparel during the weekends.

 Darsan Info

The temple opens at 6:00 AM and closes at 8:00 PM. The temple gets heavy rush on Fridays and Sundays. There is no special entrance, no VIP queues in the temple. There is  easy queue for Darshan for all. The temple does not accept any Hundi. The pooja is held at 6:30 AM and at 6:30 PM. There is no special darshan time to see the deity.The pooja for the Lord is held at 6:30 AM and at 6:30 PM everyday.

Special Rituals

In Chilkur Balaji Temple, devotees goes through the usual rituals of prayer, including 11 circumambulations of the inner shrine, and makes a vow. The 11 circumambulations represent the secret of creation - 11 means "1 soul and 1 body" - uniting both with devotion and full determination to fulfill wish, dedicate on the lord. Once the wish is fulfilled devotees then walk 108 times around the sanctum sanctorum.

Additional Info

 

Cafe Coffee Day

Cafe Sandwicho