Lord Venkateswara is affectionately called Edukondalavada in Telugu, the Lord of the Seven Hills. The Tirumala temple sits atop the Saptagiri, a range of seven sacred peaks that tradition treats as a manifestation of Adisesha, the divine serpent of Lord Vishnu. Each hill carries its own name and meaning, and understanding the Saptagiri adds depth to every pilgrim’s climb. Here is what the seven hills are and why they are venerated as much as the temple itself.
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Why seven hills
Tradition holds that the seven hills of Tirumala are the seven hoods of Adisesha, the thousand-headed serpent who serves as the couch of Lord Vishnu. When Vishnu chose to descend to Earth, Adisesha took the form of these hills to give the Lord a sacred dwelling. That is why the whole range is regarded as a living divine form rather than ordinary geography.
The seven hills and their names
- Vrishabhadri: the hill of Vrishabha, the bull vehicle of Lord Shiva, said to have performed penance here.
- Anjanadri: linked to Anjana Devi and held by tradition as the birthplace of Anjaneya (Lord Hanuman).
- Neeladri: associated with Neela Devi, the Gandharva princess who offered her hair to the Lord.
- Garudadri: the hill of Garuda, the eagle-vehicle of Vishnu, said to have brought the hills.
- Seshadri: the hill of Adisesha himself, the foundational serpent form.
- Narayanadri: associated with Lord Narayana, where Sage Narayana is said to have meditated.
- Venkatadri: the hill on which Lord Venkateswara resides, the most sacred, where the temple stands.
The lists vary a little across the different Puranas, but Venkatadri, the seventh and holiest, is universally recognised as the hill that holds the Lord’s sanctum.
Venkatadri, the principal hill
The name Venkatadri joins Venkata with adri, hill. The Lord who resides here is Venkateswara, the Lord of Venkatadri. The hill stands at about 853 metres above sea level, and it holds the main temple, the Swami Pushkarini, and the principal sacred sites. Venkata is itself read as Ven (sins) plus kata (destruction), so the name carries the sense of the hill that destroys the sins of those who climb it.
The Saptagiri in daily devotion
The seven hills are invoked every day in the Venkatesa Suprabhatam and in countless devotional songs. The refrain Edukondalavada reminds devotees that the Lord does not simply sit on a hill; He presides over all seven peaks, and the hills themselves are objects of veneration. That is why traditional pilgrims treat the climb up the Alipiri or Srivari Mettu footpaths as an act of devotion rather than mere transport, with each step often marked by a call of Govinda.
What this means for your visit
- Climbing the hills on foot is regarded as surrender and penance, not just exercise.
- The range sits within the protected Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve, which adds an ecological layer of sanctity.
- The endemic red sandalwood forests of these hills are themselves treated as sacred.
For what it’s worth, even if you ride the ghat-road bus up, I’d walk at least the final stretch of the Srivari Mettu steps on foot. You feel the idea of the Saptagiri in a way no bus window conveys, and it is a short, manageable taste of the traditional ascent.
One honest caveat: the hill names are not fixed across sources. The Puranas give slightly different lists, so if you see a different set of seven names elsewhere, both can be valid; only Venkatadri and Seshadri appear in essentially every version.
Common questions
Why is the Lord called Edukondalavada? Edu kondalu means seven hills in Telugu and vada means lord, so Edukondalavada is the Lord of the Seven Hills.
Can I visit all seven hills? The hills form one continuous range, with the temple town on Venkatadri. The other peaks lie within the protected Seshachalam forest and are not individually open as tourist spots, though sacred sites are spread across the range.
Do the names differ between texts? Yes. The Puranas give slightly varying lists, but Venkatadri and Seshadri are constant, as is the idea of seven peaks representing Adisesha.
How high is Tirumala? The temple stands at roughly 853 metres, about 2,800 feet, above sea level on Venkatadri.
What is the Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve? It is the protected forest range covering the seven hills, known for its endemic red sandalwood and rich biodiversity.
Related reading
- The Sthala Puranam of Tirumala
- Divya Darshan: Alipiri vs Srivari Mettu footpaths
- Ten lesser-known sacred sites in Tirumala
For more on the Saptagiri and Tirumala’s sacred geography, see tirumala.org and the TTD portal at ttdevasthanams.ap.gov.in.
