Rs 1 crore sword offered to Lord Balaji of Tirupati

Tirupati: A sword weighing about 5 kg was on Monday offered to Lord Venkateswara at the shrine in Tirumala Hills near here by a devotee from Hyderabad, an official of the temple said.

The devotee, who is a businessman, offered worship to the Lord and presented the sword called 'Suryakataari' that is a combat weapon, said the official. 

The donation was handed over to Additional EO AV Dharma Reddy at Ranganayakula Mandapam in Srivari temple. According to temple authorities, the sword was made with two kg of gold and three kg of silver and costs Rs one crore.

Suryakatari (story): Its equivalent in Vedic culture is the ‘Surya Katari‘ which is seen in weapons of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala hills. The word, Surya Katari literally translates to Surya (Solar) + Katari (Sword). Lord Vishnu’s sword is known as ‘Nandaka‘ and this sword is believed to be gifted by Sun God himself.