Tirumala: Sacred Foods of God About the Author AV Ramana Dikshitulu is the 37th descendent of Vaikhanasa Archaka Gopinath and the head priest at the lord Venkateshwara temple at tirumala, Andhra Pradesh. He holds a doctorate in molecular biology and is an inimitable authority on the Agamas, the crucially important Vedic scriptures. Kota Neelima has been a political journalist for over twenty years. She is former political editor at The Sunday Guardian, focussing on politics, democratic reforms, and issues concerning rural poor in India. Her recent publications include Tirupati:A Guide to Life (2012), Shoes of the Dead (2013), and The Honest Season (2016).