venkateswaraannamayyaannamacharyatelugu

Adivo Alladivo (Annamacharya)

अदिवो अल्लदिवो in English · English

🕉️ carnatic·📿 1× repetitions·🕐 Early morning, on Saturdays, and especially while on pilgrimage to Tirumala or at the first darshan of a temple hill·📜 Tallapaka sankirtana of Annamacharya, in raga Madhyamavati, Adi tala (Telugu, 15th century CE)

Read in your language / script

हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

'Adivo Alladivo' (in raga Madhyamavati) is one of the most beloved sankirtanas of Annamacharya (Annamayya), the 15th-century saint-poet of Tirupati. It captures the electric moment when a pilgrim first sights the Tirumala hills and cries out, 'There it is — the abode of Sri Hari!' Verse by verse, Annamayya sings of Venkatachala as the serpent-hill of ten thousand hoods, the eternal home of sages, the treasure of golden peaks, and the very seat of liberation. It is traditionally sung by pilgrims on the footpath to Tirumala at the first darshan of the hill.

Origin & Story

Tallapaka sankirtana of Annamacharya, in raga Madhyamavati, Adi tala (Telugu, 15th century CE) · Saint Annamacharya (Annamayya) · 1408-1503 CE

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.

✦ As told in scripture

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.

0all time

Complete Text with Meaning

Tap any line — or the ▶ button — to hear it recited

Verse 1

adivō alladivō śrī hari vāsamu padivēla śēṣula paḍagala mayamu ॥

Meaning:There it is — look, over there! — the abode of Sri Hari, shimmering with the ten thousand hoods of Adisesha. (The pilgrim, catching first sight of Tirumala, cries out in joy.)

Verse 2

ade vēṅkaṭācala makhilōnnatamu adivō brahmādula kapurūpamu । adivō nityanivāsa makhila munulaku ade cūḍu ḍade mokku ḍānandamayamu ॥ adivō alladivō śrī hari vāsamu padivēla śēṣula paḍagala mayamu ॥

Meaning:That is Venkatachala, the loftiest of all — a hill so wondrous that even Brahma and the gods find it beyond compare. It is the eternal dwelling of all the sages; behold it, bow to it — it is made of pure bliss. There it is, the abode of Sri Hari, radiant with Sesha's ten thousand hoods.

Verse 3

ceṅgaṭa nalladivō śēṣācalamū niṅgi nunna dēvatala nijavāsamu । muṅgiṭa nalladivō mūlanunna dhanamu baṅgāru śikharāla bahu brahmamayamu ॥ adivō alladivō śrī hari vāsamu padivēla śēṣula paḍagala mayamu ॥

Meaning:Right beside you — there! — stands Seshachala, the true home of the gods who dwell in heaven. Before your very courtyard lies the primordial treasure: with its golden peaks, the hill is filled through and through with Brahman. There it is, the abode of Sri Hari.

Verse 4

kaivalya padamu vēṅkaṭa naga madivō śrī vēṅkaṭapatiki sirulainadi । bhāvimpa sakala sampada rūpamadivō pāvanamula kella pāvana mayamū ॥ adivō alladivō śrī hari vāsamu padivēla śēṣula paḍagala mayamu ॥

Meaning:That Venkata hill is the very seat of kaivalya, of liberation; it is the wealth and splendour of Sri Venkatapati himself. Contemplate it — it is the embodiment of all prosperity, the purifier of even the purest. There it is, the abode of Sri Hari, shimmering with Sesha's ten thousand hoods.

Word-by-Word Meaning

Click any word to hear its pronunciation

adivō alladivō🔊There it is — look, over there!

śrī hari vāsamu🔊The abode of Sri Hari (Lord Venkateswara).

padivēla śēṣula paḍagala mayamu🔊Formed of the ten thousand hoods of Adisesha, the serpent on whom the hill rests.

ade vēṅkaṭācala makhilōnnatamu🔊That is Venkatachala, the loftiest of all places.

adivō nityanivāsa makhila munulaku🔊It is the eternal abode of all the sages.

ceṅgaṭa nalladivō śēṣācalamū🔊Close at hand — there! — is Seshachala, the serpent hill.

kaivalya padamu🔊The seat of kaivalya — final liberation.

śrī vēṅkaṭapatiki sirulainadi🔊It has become the treasured wealth of Sri Venkatapati.

Benefits of Chanting अदिवो अल्लदिवो

✦

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 अदिवो अल्लदिवो

Repetitions1times

Best TimeEarly morning, on Saturdays, and especially while on pilgrimage to Tirumala or at the first darshan of a temple hill

FaceFacing the deity of Venkateswara or the sacred hill

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete अदिवो अल्लदिवो written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

It means 'There it is — look, over there!' Annamayya points, like an excited pilgrim, to the Tirumala hill — the abode of Sri Hari, formed of the ten thousand hoods of Adisesha.

Saint Annamacharya (Annamayya, 1408-1503 CE) of Tallapaka, the great Telugu saint-poet who composed some 32,000 sankirtanas on Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala. This kirtana is set in raga Madhyamavati.

It is the pilgrim's song of Tirumala — sung when the sacred hills first come into view, on the footpaths to the temple, and in concerts and bhajans as an invocation of Lord Venkateswara.

Tradition holds that the seven hills of Tirumala are Adisesha himself, the thousand-hooded serpent of Vishnu, who took the form of the hill (Seshachala) so the Lord could dwell upon him on earth.