Faith works in curious ways. And Chilkur Balaji Temple of Hyderabad can be a classic example of this peculiar belief in faith. Chilkur or Chilkoor Balaji Temple, also popularly known as Visa Balaji Temple is the oldest temple in the state of Telangana. It is a Hindu temple that worships the deity, Lord Venkateswara Balaji.
Why Chilkur Balaji is called Visa God?
It gets its famous name “Visa Temple” because it is believed that this temple passes the visa of its devotees. This temple is visited by over 70,000 devotees per week, is always crowded you have to be prepared to stand in the long queues for long hours.
A ritual that is followed by all those who vow for their visas is that they promise to return when their visa is sanctioned and do 108 rounds or parikramas.
History of Chilkur Balaji Temple –
When you dig into the history of this Temple, it was built in the 17th century, during the time of Madanna and Akkanna. A famous legend that is narrated as the origin of the temple is a story of a devotee of Lord Balaji.
When this devotees, who always visited Tirupati once a year, got sick and didn’t get to go to his pilgrimage; Lord Balaji came in his dream and said: “You don’t have to go anywhere, I am nearby”.
When he went to the place he dreamt of the next day, He found idols of Lord Balaji with Sreedevi and Bhudevi. These idols were later installed in the village of Chilkur, and thus it is now the oldest temple of the state of Telangana.
One interesting fact about this Chilkur Balaji Temple or Visa Balaji Temple is that they don’t accept Hundi i.e. monetary donations.
How to reach the Chilkur Balaji Temple?
How to reach the Chilkur Balaji Temple?
The nearest railway station to the village of Chilkur is Hyderabad Railway Station. And the distance between Visa Balaji Temple or Chilkur Balaji Temple is about 30 kilometers, meaning you reach to your destination in about 30-40 minutes.
The nearest airport to the village of Chilkur is Hyderabad (Rajiv Gandhi International Airport), and the drive from here is just 30 minutes too.
Details of Chilkur Balaji Temple
Address: Chilkur Balaji Temple Road, Himayat Nagar, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500075
Timings: 5 am to 8 pm