Tirupati : Sri Venkateswara Temple

Tirumala Sri Venkateswara temple - Front view on a well lit night

Overview
Tirupati is on the southern border of Andhra Pradesh, very close to Madras, Tamil Nadu. 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 (also known as 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.
Description 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:

Indian Airlines operates daily flights between Hyderabad, New Delhi and Tirupati. Air Deccan has a daily flight between Hyderabad, Bangalore, Vizag and Tirupati.

By train:

Tirupati is a major junction in South Central Railways. Indian Railways operates direct trains from near by metro cities - Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and other major Railway stations to Tirupati. Trains can be boarded at nearby cities - Renigunta (10 kms from Tirupati) and Gudur (100 Kms) as well. Frequent bus service is available between Tirupati, Renigunta and Gudur.

By bus/car
National Highway NH 205 passes through Renigunta and hence is accessible from Chennai (4-6hrs), Bangalore (6½+ hrs), Hyderabad (10-12hrs) and other nearby cities.

Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) - from Hyderabad or from within Andhra Pradesh
Tamil Nadu State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) - from Chennai
Karnataka State Road Transport Coroporation (KSRTC) - from Bangalore
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 Chennai

Going from Chennai is not a bad idea as it is the nearest Airport which has international & Domestic connections.

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.) 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 Chennai. You will have to personally go and do the reservations.) offers a two-day package tour from various places in the country, particularly from Bangalore and Chennai. Rs. 1,100 (For Chennai package tour, inclusive of accommodation and darshan at various temples.)

From Bangalore

TTD Information Centre 16th Cross, Vyalikavel, Bangalore - 560 003, Ph:080-23445432/23315361

Tirupati to Tirumala:
Pilgrims can reach the foot hill city of Tirupati from where TTD has bus service to Tirumala. The ticket costs either Rs.11 (Ordinary)or Rs.15 (Express). Bus frequency is very hight with one available every 2 minutes and the buses ply from 03:00 till midnight everyday. Pilgrims also can utilize private transport like cab, taxi and mini-vans to reach Tirumala. It takes less than an hour by road.

Another popular method of travel from Tirupati to Tirumala is walking (by foot) for pilgrims who wish to fulfill a vow - a hindu religious tradition. There are 2 paths (or sopanamargas).

Path 1: Alipiri is a suburb at the foot of the hills and the starting location of a 11 km hill climbing route. Alipiri route is the most common route and used by pilgirms on most occasions. It takes about 4 hours at normal walking speed to climb the hill. The first hill consists of 2500 stairs and is the most difficult to climb. After the first hill, it is crossing the valleys till we hit the mokala parvatam (Kneecap Hill) which consists of another 600 stairs. In all, the overall distance of 9 kms has approximately 3500 stairs. There are several shops selling soda (prefer salted lime soda for hydration), snacks, mineral water and soft drinks along the way. Usually the prices in these shops are higher than the maximum retail price indicated on the labels. As all the hills are very holy, do not walk with footwear. TTD has made arrangements to piligrims to transfer/transport the footwear on to the top. By the time, the piligrims reach Tirumala, the footwear also reaches.

Path 2: A less common and short path used by the local people and traders isChandragiri. The path is only 6 km in length but is a more difficult route through the forest. Pilgrims are advised to avoid this path and prefer to stick to the Alipiri route.

See Tirumala Temples:

Sri Venkateswara Temple
Sri Varahaswami Temple
Sri Bedi Anjaneyaswami Temple
Sri Anjaneyaswami Temple
Swami Pushkarini

Holy water sites:

Akasaganga Teertham
Papavinasanam Teertham
Pandava Teertham
Kumaradhara Teertham
Tumbhuru Teertham
Ramakrishna Teertham
Chakra Teertham
Vaikuntha Teertham
Sesha Teertham
Sitamma Teertham
Pasupu Teertham
Japali Teertham
Sanaka Sanandana Teertham
Tourist attractions
Silathoranam
TTD Gardens
Asthana Mandapam
Sri Venkateswara Dhyana Vignan Mandiram
Deer Park
Sri Vari Museum

Tirupati Temples:

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

Do Visit the Sri Varaswamy temple before taking the darshan of Sri Venkateswara Swami. As per traditions and legend, Varaswamy owned the seven hills and agreed to give them to Venkateswara swamy on the condition that he is worshipped as well. Hence, Sri Venkateswara Swami asked his pilgrims to visit the Sri Varaswamy temple before visiting him.

A Virtual Darshan of the Lord Sri Venkateswara