Natural Arch, Tirumala hills
Encyclopedia
Natural Arch, Tirumala hills is a distinctive geological wonder located 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) North of the Tirumala hills temple, near the Chakra Teertham in the state of Andhra Pradesh
, India
. The Arch is also called Silathoranam in local language (Telugu language
: “Sila” means ‘rock’ and “thoranam” means a garland strung over a threshold, connecting two vertical columns or an ‘arch’ as in this case). The arch measures 8 m (26.2 ft) in width and 3 m (9.8 ft) in height, and is naturally formed in the quartzite
s of Cuddapah Supergroup of Middle to Upper Proterozoic
(1600 to 570 Ma) due to natural erosive forces.
The arch is one of the few natural arches or bridges in Asia
. But there are many others in other continents, such as the Rainbow Bridge
(Arch) and Arches National Park
in Utah
, USA which depicts 2000 sandstone arches, the Durdle Door
arch in Dorset
and the Arch of Cut Through in UK, Pravčická brána in Bohemian Switzerland, in Czech Republic
, Pont d'Arc
in Southern France
, Rainbow cave arch in the Galilee
Israel
, El Arco de Cabo San Lucas
in Mexico
and London Arch
in Australia
.
of Lord Venkateswara, has three versions.
According to one version, the arch resembles the hood of a serpent
, a Conch
(Sanskrit
: Shank and a discus
(Sanskrit
: chakra
) – all symbols of worship in Hindu religion- and considered to be the source of the Idol of Lord Venkateswara or Lord Balaji at the Tirumala hill temple.
The second version is that the main deity in the Tirumala temple is of the same height as the height of the arch.
The third version is that Lord Vishnu
(Hindu
God) called as Balaji or Venkateswara (the Central deity of Srivaishnava
tradition) at the Tirumala temple town, is supposed to have put his first foot down at a place called Padalu or Sreevaripadalu (Telugu language
: Divine foot prints) which is the highest point of Tirumala hills, the second step at the location of the arch. Thereafter, the next step is stated to have been placed where his idol is now worshipped in the temple at Tirumala.
period are composed of sedimentary rocks – quartzites and intercalated shales
, which are given the geological, stratigraphical nomenclature of Nagari quartzites.
The hill ranges of the Tirumala rise to a height of 900 m (2,952.8 ft) (at Tirumala) from the average height of 150 m (492.1 ft) in the plains at Tirupati. The steep scarp of the hill ranges depicts unconformity in its topographic, structural and denudational features, which is the Eparchian Unconformity.
The sedimentary thickness of the Cudappa basin is of the order of 12 km (7.5 mi) with volcanic sequences in the form of sills
and dykes
. A prominent Eparchaean Unconformity of the formation resting on the Archaean peninsular gneissic complex is noted. Rocks of Cuddapah Supergroup including Kurnool
Group are the prominent feature of the basin.
Specifically, the arch’s origin is attributed to two schools of thought namely, a) it could be the effect of a wave action from oceanic
transgression or intensified climatic settings and corrosion
and b) it may have been naturally carved out of quartzite.
is also a good time to visit, as the Arch looks even more striking and mystifying in the light of the setting sun
. Seen in the light of a full moon
the Arch is said to be “ethereally beautiful.”
The nearest railhead to Tirumala hills is Tirupati. From Tirupati railway station the approach to the Tirumal temple is only by road, a distance of 10 km (6.2 mi).
The nearest airport is located at Renigunta
, about 15 km (9.3 mi) away from the Tirupati city, which connects to Chennai
, Hyderabad and Bangalore
airports. Regular bus services (both private and Govt. transport services operate) are operated by all the states bordering Andhra Pradesh.
The approach road from the temple is wide and is an avenue of trees. Private vehicles are allowed to the location. A 20-minute walk from the Varahaswamy temple in Tirumala (see map pictured) would be a pleasant experience.
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...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The Arch is also called Silathoranam in local language (Telugu language
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
: “Sila” means ‘rock’ and “thoranam” means a garland strung over a threshold, connecting two vertical columns or an ‘arch’ as in this case). The arch measures 8 m (26.2 ft) in width and 3 m (9.8 ft) in height, and is naturally formed in the quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
s of Cuddapah Supergroup of Middle to Upper Proterozoic
Proterozoic
The Proterozoic is a geological eon representing a period before the first abundant complex life on Earth. The name Proterozoic comes from the Greek "earlier life"...
(1600 to 570 Ma) due to natural erosive forces.
The arch is one of the few natural arches or bridges in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. But there are many others in other continents, such as the Rainbow Bridge
Rainbow Bridge
Rainbow Bridge may refer to:Bridges :* Rainbow Bridge National Monument, a natural rock formation located in Utah, USA* Rainbow Bridge , in Kansas* Rainbow Bridge , on the United States – Canada border...
(Arch) and Arches National Park
Arches National Park
Arches National Park is a U.S. National Park in eastern Utah. It is known for preserving over 2000 natural sandstone arches, including the world-famous Delicate Arch, in addition to a variety of unique geological resources and formations....
in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, USA which depicts 2000 sandstone arches, the Durdle Door
Durdle Door
Durdle Door is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset, England. It is privately owned by the Welds, a family who own in Dorset in the name of the Lulworth Estate. It is open to the public...
arch in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
and the Arch of Cut Through in UK, Pravčická brána in Bohemian Switzerland, in Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Pont d'Arc
Pont d'Arc
The Pont d'Arc is a large natural bridge, located in the Ardèche département in the south of France, near the town of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc....
in Southern France
Southern France
Southern France , colloquially known as le Midi is defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Gironde, Spain, the Mediterranean, and Italy...
, Rainbow cave arch in the Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, El Arco de Cabo San Lucas
El Arco de Cabo San Lucas
El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, or Lands End, Cabo San Lucas is a distinctive rock formation at the southern tip of Cabo San Lucas,which is itself the extreme southern end of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula....
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and London Arch
London Arch
London Arch is a natural arch in the Port Campbell National Park, Australia.The arch is one of the tourist attractions along the Great Ocean Road near Port Campbell in Victoria...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Legend
Mythological folklore related to the arch, linked to the famous Tirumala hills templeTemple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
of Lord Venkateswara, has three versions.
According to one version, the arch resembles the hood of a serpent
Serpent (symbolism)
Serpent in Latin means: Rory Collins :&, in turn, from the Biblical Hebrew word of: "saraf" with root letters of: which refers to something burning-as, the pain of poisonous snake's bite was likened to internal burning.This word is commonly used in a specifically mythic or religious context,...
, a Conch
Conch
A conch is a common name which is applied to a number of different species of medium-sized to large sea snails or their shells, generally those which are large and have a high spire and a siphonal canal....
(Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
: Shank and a discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
(Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
: chakra
Chakra
Chakra is a concept originating in Hindu texts, featured in tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word for "wheel" or "turning" .Chakra is a concept referring to wheel-like vortices...
) – all symbols of worship in Hindu religion- and considered to be the source of the Idol of Lord Venkateswara or Lord Balaji at the Tirumala hill temple.
The second version is that the main deity in the Tirumala temple is of the same height as the height of the arch.
The third version is that 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....
(Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
God) called as Balaji or Venkateswara (the Central deity of Srivaishnava
Srivaishnava
Sri Vaishnava is a universal term among Hindus for worshippers of Vishnu. They are not limited to any part of India. Over its long history, Sri Vaishnavism has influenced nearly every aspect of Indian religious life.- Overview :...
tradition) at the Tirumala temple town, is supposed to have put his first foot down at a place called Padalu or Sreevaripadalu (Telugu language
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
: Divine foot prints) which is the highest point of Tirumala hills, the second step at the location of the arch. Thereafter, the next step is stated to have been placed where his idol is now worshipped in the temple at Tirumala.
History
In the 1980s, during excavations for a geological fault in the Tirumala hills, geologists found this rare geological formation of the rock arch which has two dissimilar sets of rocks with a connecting thin link. The assessed geological age of the rock arch is 1.5 billion years. Formation of the arch is attributed to intensified weathering and erosion of stream action that has withstood the torque of nature. This is a rare geological fault which is technically called in the geological idiom as ‘eparchian unconformity’.Geology
The natural geological arch has two distinct physiographical regions - southwest upland and northeast lowland. The Tirupati hills situated at the foot of a picturesque range of hills are known by several names such as 'Seshachala', 'Venkatachala' and 'Balaji'. The geological formations are categorized under four heads namely, the (1) Archeans (the gneisses), (2) the Eparchean unconformity (Quartzose sandstones Overlying the granite with a distinct unconformity), (3) Puranas (formation of Cuddapah group well developed in the valley) and (4) Quaternary deposits. The Tirumala hills essentially of precambrianPrecambrian
The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...
period are composed of sedimentary rocks – quartzites and intercalated shales
Shalës
Shalës is a municipality in the Elbasan District, Elbasan County, central Albania. The municipality consists of the villages Shalës, Licaj, Kurtalli, Xibrake, Xherie and Kodras....
, which are given the geological, stratigraphical nomenclature of Nagari quartzites.
The hill ranges of the Tirumala rise to a height of 900 m (2,952.8 ft) (at Tirumala) from the average height of 150 m (492.1 ft) in the plains at Tirupati. The steep scarp of the hill ranges depicts unconformity in its topographic, structural and denudational features, which is the Eparchian Unconformity.
The sedimentary thickness of the Cudappa basin is of the order of 12 km (7.5 mi) with volcanic sequences in the form of sills
Sill (geology)
In geology, a sill is a tabular sheet intrusion that has intruded between older layers of sedimentary rock, beds of volcanic lava or tuff, or even along the direction of foliation in metamorphic rock. The term sill is synonymous with concordant intrusive sheet...
and dykes
Dike (geology)
A dike or dyke in geology is a type of sheet intrusion referring to any geologic body that cuts discordantly across* planar wall rock structures, such as bedding or foliation...
. A prominent Eparchaean Unconformity of the formation resting on the Archaean peninsular gneissic complex is noted. Rocks of Cuddapah Supergroup including Kurnool
Kurnool
Kurnool is located at . It has an average elevation of 273 metres .Kurnool lies on the banks of the Tungabhadra River. The Handry and Neeva rivers also flow through the city. The K.C...
Group are the prominent feature of the basin.
Specifically, the arch’s origin is attributed to two schools of thought namely, a) it could be the effect of a wave action from oceanic
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
transgression or intensified climatic settings and corrosion
Corrosion
Corrosion is the disintegration of an engineered material into its constituent atoms due to chemical reactions with its surroundings. In the most common use of the word, this means electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen...
and b) it may have been naturally carved out of quartzite.
Visitor information
The best time to visit the arch is between 6 A.M. and 8 A.M., fog permitting. There is a well maintained garden in front of the arch should visitors wish to rest or wait until fog clears. SunsetSunset
Sunset or sundown is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon in the west as a result of Earth's rotation.The time of sunset is defined in astronomy as the moment the trailing edge of the Sun's disk disappears below the horizon in the west...
is also a good time to visit, as the Arch looks even more striking and mystifying in the light of the setting sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
. Seen in the light of a full moon
Full moon
Full moon lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun.Lunar eclipses can only occur at...
the Arch is said to be “ethereally beautiful.”
Access
The location of the Arch is well connected by road, rail and air routes.The nearest railhead to Tirumala hills is Tirupati. From Tirupati railway station the approach to the Tirumal temple is only by road, a distance of 10 km (6.2 mi).
The nearest airport is located at Renigunta
Renigunta
Renigunta is a suburban area of Tirupati, a major pilgrimage centre for Hindus. Renigunta was initially set up as a railway junction to decongest the traffic at Tirupati East railway station. Later in the 1970s, Tirupati Airport was set up. This Tirupati suburb is popularly known as the 'Dwaar' ...
, about 15 km (9.3 mi) away from the Tirupati city, which connects to Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, Hyderabad and Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
airports. Regular bus services (both private and Govt. transport services operate) are operated by all the states bordering Andhra Pradesh.
The approach road from the temple is wide and is an avenue of trees. Private vehicles are allowed to the location. A 20-minute walk from the Varahaswamy temple in Tirumala (see map pictured) would be a pleasant experience.
See also
- Tirumala-Tirupati
- Tirupati
- Tirumala
- Balaji
- Natural archNatural archA natural arch or natural bridge is a natural geological formation where a rock arch forms, with an opening underneath. Most natural arches form as a narrow ridge, walled by cliffs, become narrower from erosion, with a softer rock stratum under the cliff-forming stratum gradually eroding out until...