This Lord of Venkata is a form of the Hindu God of Maha Vishnu, also known as Srinivasa and Balaji. He is one of the most revered shrines in India, as also depicted here in a Kirtimukha throne carved mesmerizingly with peacock carvings on sides and in an amalgamation of beautiful colourful strokes. He is opined to be the richest god of Kaliyuga who took birth just to save people from the troubles of Kaliyuga. The vibrant Venkateshwara sculpture shown on this page has his eyes closed with a huge white mask that covers a major portion of his eyes because it is said that the devotees cannot withstand the powerful radiations emanating from the eyes of the lord; Viraja river flows from his divine feet and the unusual hand mudras are not less than a miracle. He is always depicted with 4 arms, where the right anterior arm points at his feet in a Varada Hasta Mudra, blessing the devotees and left anterior arm is bent at wrist and rests below the left hip in a Katya Vilambita Mudra to pay homage; the other 2 arms are curled up at the back in a fist position while holding his sacred weapons- Sudarshan Chakra and a conch, to be always ready to face the evils and save humanity. Venkateshwara is always shown in a standing posture, as it is believed that he took the oath to always stand in the Tirumala hills to protect devotees in this unholy Kaliyuga; dressed marvellously in finite attires and jewels forming long parallel designs at the bottom. This sculpture is sculpted and painted with utmost devotion and perfection, applauding the patience and high-rise skills of the artist.
