Tirupati Darshan Booking: what you need in 2026

• Sarva Darshan: the free darshan for everyone. You collect a free time slot token, then join the queue for your slot. This is the main route for most pilgrims.
• Special entry darshan: a paid, faster darshan at a fixed time, 300 rupees per person, booked online in advance. Best when your time is short.
• Divya Darshan: a special darshan for pilgrims who climb the hill on foot, with a token given on the footpath.
• Arjitha sevas: paid prayers inside the temple, such as Suprabhatam, Archana and Kalyanotsavam, each with its own fee and time, booked online.
• Free special darshan for children, seniors and the differently abled, through separate compartments.

If you climb the hill on foot, you earn the Divya Darshan, a special darshan route for walkers. There are two footpaths. The Alipiri Mettu, the longer path from Tirupati, is about nine kilometres of steps. The Srivari Mettu, the shorter path from Srinivasa Mangapuram side, is a few kilometres. You register your footpath walk and get a Divya Darshan token on the way up. Carry water, start early to avoid the heat, and note that the climb is a devotion in itself.

Open the official TTD site, tirupatibalaji.ap.gov.in, and create your account or log in. Choose what you want: the special entry darshan, a seva, a Sarva Darshan slot, or a room. Pick your date and time from what is open, and add each pilgrim with identity details. Pay online for the paid options, then download the ticket with its code. Carry the ticket and the same identity to Tirumala, because for some darshans a fingerprint or face check is matched at the gate, so the named person must be the one who goes.

• Sarva Darshan: free.
• Special entry darshan: 300 rupees per person. [Stable price, last checked 14 September 2026. Confirm the live price on the official site, because TTD can revise it.]
• Arjitha sevas: each seva has its own fee, shown on the official site when you book.
• A laddu comes with your darshan, and you can buy extra laddus at the counters.

If a website asks for a much higher "VIP darshan" fee, be careful. The official special entry darshan is 300 rupees, and sevas have fixed published fees.

• One government photo identity for each pilgrim. Indians can use Aadhaar. Visitors from abroad use a passport.
• The name and details of each pilgrim, entered at booking.
• A working mobile number for the code and updates.
• Book in the real name of the person travelling, because for some darshans the identity and even a fingerprint or face is matched at the gate.

The temple is open for darshan for most of the day and late into the night, with the early morning Suprabhatam and set seva times through the day. The exact darshan hours shift with the season and with festival days, and TTD sets the current schedule, so check the official site before you travel. Plan your slot around the seva times, because darshan pauses during some sevas.

On the official site you book arjitha sevas, the paid temple prayers, in your name. These include the dawn Suprabhatam, the Archana, the Thomala seva, the Kalyanotsavam, and others, each with its own fee and time. Some sevas need you to reach very early. Book the seva you want in advance, because the popular ones fill, and reach the reporting point on time with your ticket and identity.

The TTD runs its own accommodation at Tirumala and Tirupati, from simple rooms to better ones, booked on the same official site when a quota is open. Free and low cost choultries and dormitories also stand near the queue lines. Book a room the moment a quota opens for your date, because they fill fast, and never book a Tirumala room on an unconfirmed site.

The Tirupati laddu is famous the world over, and it carries a special heritage tag. A laddu or two comes with your darshan, and you can buy more at the laddu counters. Carry cash or a card for extra laddus. Buy only at the official counters, not from touts outside.

You can visit all year, but the temple is busiest at weekends, on public holidays, and during festivals. The great annual festival is Brahmotsavam, usually in September or October, over nine days, when the deity rides in grand processions and the crowds are enormous. Vaikunta Ekadasi, in December or January, is also huge. If you visit during these, book far ahead and expect very long waits, or pick a quiet weekday for an easier darshan.

The base is Tirupati town, at the foot of the hill. Tirupati has an airport and a well linked railway station. From Tirupati you reach Tirumala, about twenty two kilometres up the ghat road, by bus, taxi or car, or you climb the footpath for the Divya Darshan. Buses run round the clock up the hill. Give yourself time for the drive up and the security checks at the toll gate.

Carry your ticket, your identity, and a little cash or a card. Dress in traditional, modest clothes, which the temple prefers, so men often wear a dhoti or trousers and women a saree or salwar. Leave prohibited items behind, because a security check applies at the entry. Use the cloakrooms for bags. Keep your phone away in the queue lines, because photography is not allowed inside the temple.

The TTD runs a separate darshan for seniors, the differently abled, and for parents with infants, through their own compartments, which spares you the long general queue. Wheelchairs and help are available. If you travel with an elderly pilgrim, use these compartments and reach the reporting point in good time. Do not attempt the footpath climb with a weak heart or knees.

Book the moment the quota opens for your date, because special darshan and rooms go within minutes. Pick a weekday over a weekend for a shorter wait. Use the senior and differently abled compartment if it applies to you. Consider the Srivari Mettu footpath for a quicker climb and the Divya Darshan. Keep some warm clothing, because Tirumala is cool at night on the hill.