God of Visa?

Are you applying for US visa? You can’t miss visiting “Visa Balaji” temple in Chilkur. This temple was featured in ‘Mano ya mano‘ series of reality show. During my most recent stay in Hyderabad, I happened to visit this place for the first time. I was accompanying my friend who had a difficult visa case and was very skeptical about receiving it successfully. Hence, she decided to take blessings from Lord Venkateswara at the Visa Balaji temple and then attend the interview. What happened after that was simply unbelievable, to my surprise her visa interview hardly lasted for a minute and without much document verification her visa was successfully granted! Of course, this incident became my inspiration to write this post here.

Visa Temple Chilkur

Lord Venkateswara is the deity here. He is known as visa granting Balaji. It is one of the ancient temple near the banks of Osman sagar lake. This temple is about 45 min drive from Hyderabad. Since few years this place has become one of the top pilgrimage destination for truly aspiring US-visa candidates. It has been said that during 1980’s few of the students who faced rejection at the Chennai US visa consulate came here, prayed and then their wishes were fulfilled. Since then the temple has acquired the reputation of granting the elite American Visa.

How Does It Work?

Typically, the visa aspirant visits the Chilkur Visa Balaji temple before the visa interview. There the visa aspirant goes through the usual ritual of prayer, she takes 3 rounds of pradakshina, which means walking in circles around the temple, and then makes a vow that after getting the visa she would come back to the temple and make 108 rounds around the temple as part of her gratitude to the visa God. Once, the visa is successfully granted, people come back to the temple and fulfill the vows. For all these years, it’s been the usual drill at Chilkur temple. Since Hyderabad is a Hitech city, meaning several IT professionals working for US based firms, there are many aspirants who go to USA for higher studies, jobs etc. and with the strengthening of the belief in the visa God, the temple is almost crowded all the time.

Hyderabadis Love USA

A visit to this temple reminded me that USA is still a land of dreams for many of us here in the city of nawaabs, Hyderabad. Believe it or not, this region has the largest pool of applicants for the elite US visa. The existence of the temple near the Hyderabad, is a mere coincidence or another mysterious God’s action? Whatever it may be, it has been proved in many occasions now that people who came here to make a vow, got their visas very easily. This temple is a classic example of God’s belief in the 21st century of modernized era, clearly a blend of old world religion with globalization!

At Chilkur Balaji It’s Not About Money

The temple has also got the fame for not accepting any money from the devotees, like it’s the case at mostly all religious places in the India. You won’t see any Hundi boxes, a.k.a. donation boxes, in the temple, or there are no paid or VIP lines where you can quick access for your visit to the God, everyone is considered equal and has to be in the same queue. An amazing temple that continues to grow in popularity.



Website – http://www.chilkurbalaji.com

Address- Chilkur Balaji Temple Road, Chilkur, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 501504

Phone: +91 1800 4254 5454