Sri Varahaswamy Temple, Tirumala: The First Deity of the Seven Hills
Long before the towering gopuram of Sri Venkateswara Temple drew millions of pilgrims to Tirumala each year, the sacred hills already had a resident lord. Sri Varahaswamy Temple, tucked quietly on the northern bank of the Swami Pushkarini tank, is regarded as the original shrine of Tirumala — so much so that tradition holds a pilgrimage to the hills is incomplete without first bowing before Lord V…