Adivo Alladivo (Annamacharya) — Benefits & How to Chant
अदिवो अल्लदिवो
Complete guide to chanting correctly for maximum benefit
Benefits of Chanting Adivo Alladivo (Annamacharya)
The classic pilgrim's song of Tirumala
sung at the first sight of the seven hills, it turns the whole journey into worship.
Fills the heart with the joy of darshan even before reaching the temple, cultivating eagerness and single-minded devotion.
Reminds the devotee that the sacred hill itself is divine
the body of Adisesha and the seat of liberation.
A masterpiece of Annamacharya in the auspicious raga Madhyamavati, treasured in Carnatic music for over five centuries.
Ideal for singing during pilgrimage, temple visits, and Saturday worship of Lord Venkateswara.
How to Chant Adivo Alladivo (Annamacharya)
Instructions
Sing or recite with the joy of a pilgrim beholding Tirumala for the first time. It is set in raga Madhyamavati, Adi tala. Point the mind toward the hill with each 'adivo' ('there it is'), visualising the golden peaks and the Lord standing upon Adisesha. Pilgrims traditionally sing it on the footpath routes to Tirumala.
Spiritual Significance
Tradition says the boy Annamayya, climbing barefoot, fainted with hunger on the hill path; Goddess Alamelumanga herself appeared and fed him, and when he reached the crest and saw the hill of the Lord, this song poured out of him. Pilgrims say singing it on the footpath makes the steep climb feel light, as if the Lord himself draws them up.
Origin & History
Source: Tallapaka sankirtana of Annamacharya, in raga Madhyamavati, Adi tala (Telugu, 15th century CE)
Author: Saint Annamacharya (Annamayya)
Annamayya left home as a boy of sixteen, drawn irresistibly to Tirumala. Climbing the rocky footpath, he beheld the sacred hill rising before him and burst into song — 'Adivo alladivo!' ('There it is — over there!'). The sankirtana preserves that first ecstatic darshan: the hill of Sesha's ten thousand hoods, the home of sages, the golden-peaked treasure, the seat of liberation. His songs, engraved on copper plates, were rediscovered centuries later in a vault of the Tirumala temple.