Official name for the managing committee of the Venkateshvara temple, near
the town of Tirupati in the state of
Andhra Pradesh. This temple is the
richest one in India, based largely on the
popular belief that any wish made in the
deity’s presence will invariably come
true. In earlier times all of the temple
receipts were taken by the priests running the temple, but since Indian independence in 1947, the temple
committee has been responsible for
them. The committee has channeled
these funds into hundreds of charities,
but particularly into education and temple building: the former in schools from
702
Tirumalisai
the primary to the university level, and
the latter in providing the funds to help
build many of the larger Hindu temples
in the United States and Europe.