Tirupati
From World travel guide
Tirupati is in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. It is most famous for its Sri Venkateswara Temple dedicated to Vishnu, also known as Balaji. The temple is located on top of Tirumala hills, while the town is located on the foothills. The Tirumala hill has seven peaks ("Sapthagiri"), said to represent the seven hoods of Adisesha, the serpant under whose hoods Vishnu resides in Vaikuntha.
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Understand
Overview
The temple town of Tirupati is located in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh, India. Tirumala is located in the eastern ghats, a mountain range that runs along the south-eastern India. The temple of Lord Venkateswara is located on the seventh peak Venkatachala. The nearby town of Tiruchanoor or Alamelumangapuram is also covered in this page.
History
Lord Venkateswara also called the Lord of the seven hills. This temple has acquired a special sanctity in Hindu religion. The benefits that accrue by a pilgrimage to this holy town is mentioned in the Vedas and Puranas. Hindus all over the world believe that in Kali Yuga its possible to attain mukti only by worshipping Lord Venkateswara. Around 50,000 pilgrims visit the temple every day.
The Pallava, Chola, Pandaya and Vijayanagar rulers have endowed the temple with offerings of funds and Jewels.
Preparation
Before you start for Tirumala its recommended that you
- Offer your prayers to your kuladeiva (family diety)
- Visit the temple of Lord Ganesha to ensure that the trip is not laden with obstacles
- Visit Tiruchanoor and offer your prayers to Sri Padmavathi Ammavari
- Visit Sri Varahaswami Temple on the northern bank of Swami Pushkarini at Tirumala
- Then offer your prayers to Lord Venkateswara
Get in
By plane
The closest airport is near Sri Kaalahasti. There are flights from Madras, but not from a lot of other places. It is best to fly down to Madras and use some other way to get into Tirupati
By train
There is a railway station at Tirupati. There are a couple of daily trains from Madras, and one daily train from Bangalore. The closest railway junction is Renigunta, two hours away and all trains plying between Madras and Mumbai stop at Renigunta.
By bus
It takes about 5 hours by road to get to Tirupati from Bangalore and 3 hours from Madras. Both TNSRTC and APSRTC operate buses during the day and night.
Package tours
It is possible to go on a package tour from various places to Tirupati, with the operator taking care of transport, accommodation and sight-seeing.
From Madras
- TTD, (1) TTD Information Centre, V V R Dharmasala, 198 & 199, Peters Road Chennai - 600 014, 2) Manager TTD Information Centre 50, VenkataNarayana Road T Nagar Chennai – 600 017.) [1] Offers a package tour, but the person going on the tour has to do the reservation personally (and submit a photograph and fingerprints!) from one of the many TTD offices around the country
- Swarnandhra tours, from AP tourism +91 44 2433 3010, +91 44 2433 1977 (from Madras. You will have to personally go and do the reservations.) [2] offers a two-day package tour from various places in the country, particularly from Bangalore and Madras. Rs. 1,100 (For Madras package tour, inclusive of accommodation and darshan at various temples.)
- Parveen travels, Shop number 6, Uma Complex, 39, Medavakkam Tank Road, Kellys, Chennai-600010. +91 44 2644 4621, +91 44 2647 1134 (fax: +91 44 2644 4626 parveen@md2.vsnl.net.in) [3] is another package tour operator. Rs. 500 (cost does not include darshan and probably does not include accommodation. Please check.)
From Bangalore
From Hyderabad
On foot
Tirumala ('mala' means hill), atop which the famous temple of Lord Venkateswara is situated is about 22 km from Tirupati (bottom of hill). It takes less than an hour by road. There is also a footpath uphill - about 14km in all for those who want to walk up to the temple. It takes about 4 hours at normal walking speed to climb the hill. There are several shops selling Lime Soda, Snacks, Water and Cold Drinks along the way. Stop by to beat the dehydration. Usually the prices in these shops are higher than the maximum retail price indicated on the labels.
By car
Get around
See
- Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple, Tiruchanoor
- Sri Govindarajaswami Temple, Tirupathi
- Sri Kodandaramaswami Temple, Tirupathi
- Sri Kapileswaraswami Temple, Tirupathi
- Sri Kalyana Venkateswaraswami Temple, Srinivasa Mangapuram
- Sri Kalyana Venkateswaraswami Temple, Narayanavanam
- Sri Veda Narayanaswami Temple, Nagalapuram
- Sri Venugopalaswami Temple, Karvetinagaram
- Sri Prasanna Venkateswaraswami Temple, Appalayanagunta
- Sri Chennakesavaswami Temple, Tallapaka
- Sri Annapurna Sameta Kasi Visweswaraswami Temple, Bugga
- Sri Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala
- Sri Varahaswami Temple, Tirumala
- Sri Bedi Anjaneyaswami Temple, Tirumala
- Sri Anjaneyaswami Temple, Tirumala
- Swami Pushkarini, Tirumala
- Akasaganga Teertham, Tirumala
- Papavinasanam Teertham, Tirumala
- Pandava Teertham, Tirumala
- Kumaradhara Teertham, Tirumala
- Tumbhuru Teertham, Tirumala
- Ramakrishna Teertham, Tirumala
- Chakra Teertham, Tirumala
- Vaikuntha Teertham, Tirumala
- Sesha Teertham, Tirumala
- Sitamma Teertham, Tirumala
- Pasupu Teertham, Tirumala
- Japali Teertham, Tirumala
- Sanaka Sanandana Teertham, Tirumala
- Silathoranam, Tirumala
- TTD Gardens, Tirumala
- Asthana Mandapam, Tirumala
- Sri Venkateswara Dhyana Vignan Mandiram, Tirumala
- Deer Park, Tirumala
Do
Respect
While in Tirumala don't
- Consume alcohol
- Eat non vegetarian food
- Wear flowers - all flowers are for the lord only
Learn
Work
Buy
Eat
- Bhimas
- Mayura
Budget
Mid-range
Splurge
Drink
Tirupathi and Tirumala is a pilgrimage town. People on pilgrimage don't drink or eat non-vegetarian food. Consumption of liquor is prohibited in Tirumala.Smoking is also not allowed in Tirumala
Sleep
Budget
- Dasaprakash, Poonamalle High Road
Mid-range
- Bhimas,
- Mayura,
Splurge
Contact
Stay safe
Cope
Get out
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