Tirupati Tirumala Balaji

Visesha Puja (On Mondays) Every Monday after second bell the utsava vigraha is brought to the mantapa for 'Chaturdasa kalasa visesha puja' i.e. 14 kalasas. After seeking Sri Malayappa Swami's permission ankurarpana and punyaha vachanam take place. As Panchasukatas are recited, Tirumanjanam is done to the utsava murtis starting with milk, water, curds, chandana and water. At the conclusion of the abhisheka arati is offered to mark the cumination of the seva. Purnahuti is offered to herald the conclusion of the homa. Naivedya is offered to God. The arkita Seva ticket holders are then given vastra bahumanam. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ashtadala - Pada Padmaaradhana (On Tuesdays) This seva is conducted after the second bell. This ritual was first intorduced in Srivari Temple in 1984 when a muslim devotte offered Lord Srinivasa 108 gold lotuses. The archaka commences the puja by offering dhupa and dipa to the...

Sarvadarsanam means 'darshan for all'. The timings for Sarvadarsanam are different on different days of the week. Please refer the weekly temple programme for the timings. On normal days, about 18 hours are allotted for Sarvadarsanam and on peak days, it is open for 20 hours. Around 50,000 pilgrims visit the main temple every day.

The entrance for darshan is through the Vaikuntam Queue Complex. The complex is a series of inter-connected halls that leads to the main temple. An efficient queue system ensures that pilgrims move in an orderly fashion through the Queue Complex, towards the main temple. The halls in the Queue Complex are clean, spacious and airy.TTD provides a wide range of facilities in the Queue Complex: * Canteens selling food packets at subsidised rates. * The Andhra Pradesh Dairy Development Corporation selling fresh milk * Medical aid * Sale of photographs, calendars and other TTD publications * Toilets * losed Circuit Television, through which devotional programmes and music are relayed * Cloak rooms near the Vaikuntam Queue Complex entrance * Places where footwear can be deposited, free of cost (at the entrance) There are officers to look after the facilities in the Vaikuntam Queue Complex, regulate the queues and attend to complaints.

The entrance for Special Darshan is through the PPC (Queue Complex). The queue merges with the Sarvadarsanam queue at Bangaruvakili. Pilgrims who use this queue will have a shorter waiting time. There are two categories of special darshan, with tickets costing Rs. 40.00 and Rs. 50.00 per head. The darshan timings are the same as that for Sarvadarsanam.

The Sudarsanam token system was introduced to minimise the waiting time for Sarvadarsanam, Special Darshan and other paid darshan/sevas. Some of its features: * The tokens are available free of cost at the First Choultry (opposite the TiruRailway Station), Second Choultry (behind the Railway Station), Alipiri Bus Stand, Tirupati, Vaikuntam Queue Complex, Pilgrim Amenities Centre (Near CRO) and near the Rambagicha Guest House in Tirumala. * The time of darshan is indicated on the tokens. * Pilgrims can enter the Vaikuntam Queue Complex at Tirumala at the time indicated on the tokens * They can have darshan within two hours of entering the Queue Complex. * As this system saves on waiting time, it provides pilgrims with enough time to visit temples in the vicinity like Sri Govindarajaswami Temple and Kapila Teertham at Tirupati, Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple at Tiruchanur and Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swami Temple at Srinivasa Mangapuram. * To help TTD keep a track of the number of pilg...

This special darshan is arranged for the physically disabled and the aged through a separate gate at the Maha Dwaram,the main temple entrance. If necessary, such pilgrims can be accompanied by an attendant.

Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam applies for global recognition for famous prasadam If all goes well the world famous Tirupathi laddu, sold as prasadam of Lord Venkateshwara at Tirumala, will soon have a geographical indication mark protecting its unique identity from counterfeiters. The move which has been in the making for quite some time now took a step forward with the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD) making a formal application to the Chennai based Directorate of Geographical Indications recently, an official familiar with the process said. The Tirupathi laddu is so famous and sought after that instances of its black marketing are common as also instances of counterfeit laddus being sold. The Sri Venkateswara Nitya Laddu Danam Scheme, where pilgrims are given one 25 grams laddu free of cost, was started in 1981. This apart any extra laddus have to be bought at a price. An estimated 1.50 lakh laddus, made of besan, sugar, oil, cardamom and dry fruits, are reportedly prepared ever...