Editing Venkateswara (section)

==Iconography and symbolism==
[[File:Venkateswara BNC.jpg|thumb|upright|Idol of Venkateswara]]

The idol of Venkateswara has the attributes of both [[Vishnu]] and [[Shiva]]- the preserving and destroying aspects of the Hindu Trinity.<ref>{{cite book | title =Tamil Culture (Volume 9) |year=1961 |page=73 |publisher=Tamil Literature Society |first=Xavier S. |last=Thani Nayagam | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=rNIgAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> The deity wears ornaments associated with Vishnu, but also ornaments such as the Naga, associated with Shiva. As such, followers believe that Venkateswara represents the vishwarup, or universal form, encompassing all of God's forms as described in Chapter 11 of the [[Bhagavad Gita]].<ref>{{Cite news |first=Mona |last=Punjabi |date=21 April 2019 |title=Tirupati Balaji - History of Tirupati Balaji temple |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/religion/religious-places/history-of-tirupati-balaji-temple/articleshow/68206101.cms |access-date=19 April 2022 |work=The Times of India}}</ref>

Venkateswara is known to stand for goodness. His ''disc'' is believed to annihilate evil, while the ''conch'' is presumed to produce the cosmic sound that puts an end to the world's ignorance.<ref>{{cite book | title =Glory of Lord Sri Venkateswara |date=23 October 2008 |publisher=University of Virginia |first=S. V. 
|last= Ramayya |page=1-64 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=TUgvAAAAYAAJ}}</ref> Venkateswara is also known as ''[[Sat-Chit-Ananda]]''.<ref>{{cite book | title =Sri Venkateswara |date=27 January 2015 |publisher=Jaico Publishing House |first=Shantha 
|last= Nair | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=CY9eAAAAQBAJ&q=Sri+venkateswara |isbn=9788184954456}}</ref>