Tirupati

Tirupati also acknowledged as Tirumala temple is cited in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. It is the terrain of the most revered South Indian temples in India, of Sri Venkateshwara, solely sanctified to the almighty Lord Vishnu. The temple is nestled in the region of Tirumala hills, with seven peaks, at an altitude of about 850 m above sea level. The seven peaks signify the seven hoods of the serpent Adisesha, which crowns Lord Vishnu. The place receives largest numbers of pilgrims in India. It is also regarded as the richest Pilgrimage place in the country with revenues annually accruing to approximately Rs. 50,000 crores.

The mythological tale states that Lord Kubera, bestowed money to the Lord Venkateshwara for his wedding with Goddess Padmavati. The Lord’s devotees donate money and gold in the donation box, so that he can pay off Kubera. Tirupati darshan is deemed as an utmost religious affair and folks from all lifestyles and standards come to this town to get piously elevated. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam is an autonomous body, which looks after the functioning of the temple complex, and all Tourist information can be fetched from them. Many a pilgrim gets their head shaved when they visit the Tirupati temple and offer their hair to Balaji as an act religious act. This tonsuring of the head is a ritual that is strongly associated with Tirupati. This hair shaving is done at the central hall called Kalyana Katta, a huge building near the temple where the barbers sit.

October to March

The must visit places at Tirupati, the pilgrim town includes mainly temples, holy ponds and shrines and ashrams of spiritual leaders. Sightseeing in Tirupati also includes national park, waterfalls and a museum. Check out the following list of attractions at Tirupati to plan your itinerary for Tirupati:

Having meals at the temple premises is believed to be auspicious. Here food is dished out traditionally in a platter of banana leaves. However, there are scores of vegetarian food stalls and eating-places offering typical South Indian cuisines like vegetables, chutneys, rice, sambhar and rasam. Few handpicked restaurants of Tirupati include - Sindhu Fast Food Center, Manasa Restaurant, Palace Café, Pongali Restaurant, Andhra Spice and the Deepam Food Plaza. The locals hang around temples eating prasadam and listening to devotional music.

Travellers visiting the place can shop for the customary puja items, along with famous handicrafts items of nearby places. The items include wood carved artefacts, kalamkari work, toys made of white wood and traditional Tanjore design of paintings. In the main market arena, Lepakshi Emporium offers good handicrafts and textiles. You can also pick up gold and silver coins which has the Lord's figure engraved on it.

The city is connected by Air by the airport of Tirupati located at a distance of around 14 km. from the town and it has regular flights from Delhi and Hyderabad. If you plan to fly from abroad, it is best to land at the Chennai International Airport, which is the nearest international airport for Tirupati, located approximately 200 km. from the city. The city is connected by Rail route via Tirupati station located at near the town. It has good railway connectivity with all major cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Mumbai and Chennai. You can also engage a private vehicle to reach Tirupati from several nearby cities of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The state tourism also operates inter-state buses that ply back and forth to take the pilgrims to Tirumala. The city also has a network of intercity buses that stops all over the city. Taxis and autos can also be hailed from the streets. Tirupati is comparatively a small city (just 16 km.) and some of its areas can be easily explored on foot. In fact, exploring the religious temples and some other holy places on foot is a unique experience in itself.

There are few other temples like Iskon Tirupati, Sri Kodandaramaswami Temple, Sri Bedi Anjaneyaswami Temple and few others which can also be visited in the holy town of Tirupati.

The Tourist places worth visiting near Tirupati include: Deer Park located about 70 km. southeast of Tirupati is known for having large number of animals mainly deer and varied species of birds. The Talakona Waterfalls sited inside the Venkateswara National Park is at a distance of about 49 km. from Tirupati.It is regarded as the main gateway to the Tirumala Hills. Sri Veda Narayanaswami Temple, which is located at Nagalapuram, is identified as the Matsya incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Silathoranam is a natural rock formation in Tirumala, near the Chakra Theertham. This rock formation holds an archaeological importance and resembles the hood of a serpent, a discus and a conch.