Tirumala Krishna idol is one of the idols in the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple

Tirumala Venkateswara Temple

Tirumala Venkateswara Temple ), is a Hindu temple in the hill town of Tirumala, near Tirupati in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, South India. It is around from Chennai, from Hyderabad, and from Bangalore....

, Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

. While the temple is dedicated to worship of lord Vishnu

Vishnu

Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

 as Venkateswara, it contains the idols of some of Vishnu's other avatars - Krishna

Krishna

Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

 and Rama

Rama

Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

. The temple also has the idol of Rukmini

Rukmini

In Hinduism, Rukmini is the principal wife and queen of Krishna at his city of Dwarka. Krishna heroically kidnaps her from an un-wanted marriage at her request . Of Krishna's 16,108 queens, Rukmini is the first and most prominent...

, wife of Lord Krishna.

Idol description

The idol of Lord Krishna is seen in the navanitha nritya (celestial dance) pose of a child. The lord is seen in the dancing pose with his left hand stretched out in a dancing pose and the left leg placed on the pedestal. The right leg is bent at the knee and doesn't rest on the pedestal. The right hand holds a dollop of butter.

Rukmini Idol

The idol of Rukmini devi has a lotus in the left hand while the right hand is in the blessing pose. The idol is on a lotus pedestal. The details of the exact date when the idol was consecrated, the history of the idol and whether it was found/made along with the Krishna idol is not known.

Idol history

There are no records on the exact date when the idol was consecrated but the earliest record indicate that the idol was offered naivedyam (food offerings) in 1100 A.D. on occasion of Krishna Jayanthi.

Seva to Idol

The idol of Sri Krishna does not receive main attention in the daily prayers of the temple. Even the daily naivedyam to the idol is offered to the main deity

Tirumala Dhruva Bera

Tirumala Dhruva Bera is the name given to the idol of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Andhra Pradesh. Dhruva Bera is the official terminology used for the main deity of a temple with the exact translation being The Immobile image and as the name suggests, the idol is stationary...

 before attributing it to the Krishna idol. The same practice is followed for the Rama idol

Tirumala Rama Idol

Tirumala Rama idol is one of the deities in the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Andhra Pradesh. While the temple is dedicated to worship of lord Vishnu as Venkateswara, it contains the idols of some of Vishnu's other avatars: Rama and Krishna...

 in the temple. During the annual Koil Alwar Thirumanjanam (cleansing of the temple), the idols are removed from the garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum) and replaced after the place is cleaned and consecrated with holy spices. The idol receives attention during the Dhanurmasa when the Ekanta Seva is performed to the Krishna idol instead of Bhoga Srinivasa

Bhoga Srinivasa

Bhoga Srinivasa is a silver deity that is a near replica of the main deity of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh. The lord is also known as Manavalapperumal or Kautuka Bera. The deity is utilized for performing daily Abhishekam ceremony and daily Ekanta Seva...

 idol.

The Krishna idol receives direct offerings outside the garbha griha on various occasions.

• Teppotsavam: During the annual Teppotsavam (float festival), the second day is dedicated to the idols of Lord Krishna and Rukmini. The idols are bought to the Swami Pushkarini (holy lake to the north of the temple) and taken on a float to the mandapam in the middle of the lake for prayers.
• Vasanthotsavam
  Vasanthotsavam
  Vasanthotsavam is an annual Seva celebrated in Tirumala to celebrate the arrival of spring season.Vasantotsavam is the combination of 2 words - "Vasantha" and "Utsavam"...
  
  : During the annual festival, the idols of Lord Krishna and Rukmini join Malayappa swami
  Malayappa swami
  Malayappa swami is the current utsava murti in Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala. Malayappa swami is worshipped during religious ceremonies and processions wherein it would be innapropriate to use the main deity...
  
   and consorts and Rama idol
  Tirumala Rama Idol
  Tirumala Rama idol is one of the deities in the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Andhra Pradesh. While the temple is dedicated to worship of lord Vishnu as Venkateswara, it contains the idols of some of Vishnu's other avatars: Rama and Krishna...
  
   on the third day on a procession around the four streets surrounding the temple and returned to the vasanta mandapam.
• Krishna Jayanthi: After special prayers, the idols of Lord Krishna and his consort Rukmini are bought on a procession around the temple to mark the celebration of Krishna Jayanthi - the birth date of Lord Krishna.