The Hoods of Adisesha

The seven hills upon which the Lord rests are said to be the seven hoods of Adisesha himself — the divine serpent on whose coils Lord Vishnu reclines in the cosmic ocean. When the Lord chose to descend to the earth in this age of Kali, Adisesha is said to have transformed himself into a mountain so that his Lord might rest upon him here as well, undisturbed.

Each of the seven hoods became a hill. Each hill bears its own name, its own meaning, and its own quiet place in the larger story of the Lord's presence at Tirumala.

The Seven Hills

• Seshadri

  The hill of Sesha — the divine serpent who is the foundation of the Lord's repose.

• Neeladri

  The blue hill — named after the goddess Neela Devi, whose grace is said to have transformed it.

• Garudadri

  The hill of Garuda — the eternal vahana of Sri Vishnu, ever ready to serve.

• Anjanadri

  The hill of Anjana Devi — mother of Sri Hanuman, who is said to have prayed here for the boon of her divine son.

• Vrishabhadri

  The hill of the bull — named after the asura Vrishabha, whose devotion the Lord transformed into eternal residence here.

• Narayanadri

  The hill of Sage Narayana — who is said to have performed great penance upon it and earned the Lord's grace.

• Venkatadri

  The hill that burns away sins (vem) and grants prosperity (kata) — the hill where the Lord Himself resides, the heart of the seven.

The Climb as Inner Journey

Among devotees of old, there is a saying — that the climb up the seven hills is not a climb of the body, but of the heart. With each hill, something of the world is meant to fall away. The first hill takes the dust of pride. The second, the heat of anger. The third, the hunger of greed. By the time the devotee reaches Venkatadri, only longing remains.

This is why the elders say that no one truly reaches Tirumala without being changed. The Lord does not move toward us. We are slowly, gently, transformed into beings who can stand before Him.