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The value of the ornaments of Lord Balaji is around Rs1000 crores. (And appreciates as the Bullion Market rises.) Since they have no safe place to keep all these ornaments and since Lord Balaji does not have the time to decorate himself with all these ornaments, he has decreed that the excess ornaments be auctioned off once every year after due publicity.
Royalties like King Rajendra chola, King Krishna Deva Raya, Achchutha Raya have donated many precious jewels and have also created permanent endowments / trust for the benefit of the pilgrims of Lord Balaji and have got them engraved in stones as well as in copper plates as authentic proof of such donations. Even the Chola Queen had visited the temple and had offered many a gifts/presents to the Lord.
A Look-Alike Avatar of Tirupati Balaji
A look alike small silver statue (idol), similar to the tall well built Moola Vigraham of Lord Balaji inside the sanctum sanctorum, was made on 8th June in 966 AD, for the purpose of daily Abhishegam as well as making Him wear his ornaments The Pallava king Sakthi Vidangan’s wife and queen to the throne called Kadavan Perum Devi had donated a lot of ornaments/jewels to this silver idol of Lord Balaji and she has also created an endowment for the purpose of conducting regular daily worship. The first Kulothunga Chola King had offered many costly gifts to the Deity.
The paintings/murals at Tirupati are more than 300 years old.
Bilva Leaves, a must for worship of Lord Siva are used during archana (worship by various names of the Lord) to Lord Balaji on all Fridays. Similarly the same Bilva leaves are used during archanas in the month of Marghazhi.( 15th Dec. to 15 Jan).
On Maha Sivaratri day which is considered sacred for the worship of Lord Siva a festival called Kshetra Palika is celebrated at Tirupati. On that day the Urchava Idol is decorated with a flat diamond studded ornament resembling the three streaks of vibhuthi (sacred ash applied on foreheads in three lines by worshipers of Lord Siva) and taken out in procession on the streets.
