TIRUMALA, OCTOBER 04, 2026: Beside the world-famous hill shrine of Sri Venkateswara Swamy in Tirumala, there lies Swami Pushkarini, a sacred temple tank, often cherished and revered by devotees as the “waters of heaven”.
Swami Pushkarini, according to tradition, flowed from the lotus feet of Sri Maha Vishnu and was sanctified by Sri Brahma Himself.
A Sporting Lake for deities
Legend says that Garuda brought this holy water from Vaikuntha to Tirumala, as a sporting lake for the deities. The tank is thus worshipped not merely as a water body, but as a sacred presence in its own right.
Its glory finds mention in the Varaha, Padma, Markandeya, Vamana, Skanda, Brahma and Bhavishyottara Puranas.
Devotees also consider it as the fountainhead of all sacred rivers, including the holy Ganga.
Covering nearly one and a half acres, Swami Pushkarini is framed by history as much as by faith. At its centre stands the Neerali Mandapam, built in 1468 by Saluva Narasimha Raya of the Vijayanagara dynasty. Inscriptions dating to the 12th century already record worship and harathi at the Pushkarini, showing that its veneration is many centuries old.
Every evening, after the Sahasra Deepalankara Seva, priests offer harathi to Swami Pushkarini. During the annual Brahmotsavams, the ritual gains special significance, with harathi performed during both morning and night before culminating the vahana sevas.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams also ensures the tank remains clean and fresh through filtration systems and periodic refilling and these arrangements were first introduced by TTD in 1972.
A meeting Place of all Theerthas
Devotees believe Swami Pushkarini is the confluence of countless sacred waters. The Galava, Markandeya, Agneya, Dhanada, Saraswati, Yamya, Vayu, Varuna and Vasishtha theerthas are traditionally said to surround or merge into it.
Scriptures further state that on Margasira Shukla Dwadasi, at sunrise, crores of theerthas enter the Pushkarini and cleanse devotees of their sins on taking a holy dip
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