Tirupati India

Tirupati - The Sacred Pilgrimage Centre

Tirupati Balaji, TirupatiTirupati one of the sacred town of Hindus, is located in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. The town lies at a distance of 152 Kms from Chennai and 562 Kms from Hyderabad. Tirupati is famous as the abode of the Hindu god Venkateshwara (the Lord of Seven Hills). The town is known for temple of Lord Shri Venkateswara situated on the nearby Tirumala Hills. The 3,200 ft high Tirumala Hill comprises seven peaks, representing the seven hoods of Adisesha thus named as Seshachalam. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrishabhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. The sacred Sri Venkateswara temple stands on the seventh peak, Venkatadri. Inside the temple there are idols of god Venkateswara and goddess Sri or Lakshmi. Thousands of pilgrims throng the town throughout the year to get a glimpse of the deities.

Festivals of Tirupati

Every day remains a day of festivity at the town of Tirmula. Among the festival Brahmotsavam is the most famous festival, celebrated in the month of September for nine days. It is said that Brahma (the creator) himself conducts the ceremony in honour of Venketeswara. The deity is taken out in procession for all the nine days of the festival. Other popular festivals of the town are Vaikunta Ekadashi Rama Navami, Diwali, Ganesh Charuthi and Dussehra.

What attract tourists

Tirupati has universal appeal among the people of all religions. The temples of Tirupati draws large number of tourists and pilgrims, the famous temples are :

Padmavati Devi Temple The temple dedicated to goddess Padmavati, lies 5 Kms away from Tiruapati at Tiruchanur. It is believed that the visit of Tirumala is incomplete, without the visit of Padmavati Devi temple.

Shri Govindarajaswami Temple The temple is an important temple at Tirupati, situated in the centre of the town. It was consecrated by Saint Ramanujachrya in 1130 A.D. The temple has an magnificent gopuram (tower) that is visible from a long distance.

The temple houses many sub-temples inlcude Shri Parthasarathiswami Temple, Shri Kalyana Venkateswaraswami Temple, Shri Andal Temple and several other temples.

Shri Kodandaramaswami TempleShri Kodandaramaswami Temple The temple built by a Chola king during the 10 th century, is situated in the heart of the town. The presiding deities here are Sita, Rama and Lakxman. In the opposite direction the temple has a sub-temple, called as the Anjaneyaswami temple.

Shri Kapileswaraswami Temple This temple is situated 3 Kms north of Tirupati, on the foot of the Tirumala hills. The temple is important as this is the only temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, in pantheon of Vaishnava temples in Tirupati.

Excursions

Chandragiri The town situated 11 Kms southwest of Tirupati, was the capital of the Vijayanagar rulers in 1600 A.D. Chandragiri is famous for its Chandragiri Fort and beautiful palaces. Agastyaswamy Temple The temple lies at a distance of 12 Kms from Tirupati. The temple is located at the meeting point of three rivers namely Swarnamukhi, Bhima and Kalyan. The major attractions are the shrine of Goddess Parvati and a mandap with the images of Balaji, Ayyappa and Ganapati.

Shri Kalyana Venkateswaraswami Temple The temple is located 12 Kms west of Tirupati at Srinivasa Mangapuram. It is said that god Venkateswara stayed here after his marriage with Shri Padmavathi Devi, before proceeding to Tirumala.

Shri Prasanna Venkateswaraswami Temple Built by the Rajas of Karvetinagar the temple is located in Appalayagunta, 14 Kms from Tirupati. The temple consists of a shrine for Anjaneyaswami, it also has the statues of Goddess Padmavathi and Shri Andal.

How to Reach Tirupati

The temple town of Tirupati is well linked to major cities of India by air, rail and road.

Air : Tirupati airport is located at a distance of 14 Kms from the city centre. The domestic airlines operate flight almost everyday between Tirupati and Hyderabad (1 hour),Chennai (30 minutes) and Bangalore (1 hour).

Rail : The trains are available from major cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Visakhapatnam. Saptagiri Express runs daily between Chennai and Tiruapati.

Road : The National Highway connects Tirupati with cities like Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The buses ply regularly from nearby towns and cities to Tirupati.

Where to Stay in Tirupati

The hotels, guest houses and dharamsalas of the town offer enough accommodation choices. The Dharmasalas and guest houses are available on reasonable cost or free off cost. While hotels are available at reasonable prices, some of the famous hotels of the town are Kalyan Residency (3 Star), Hotel Sindhuri Park (3 Star), Hotel Mayura (3 Star),Hotel Bliss (3 Star) and Bhimas Deluxe Hotel (2 Star).