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tirupati balaji temple |
Tirupati Balaji
is a religious destination where devotion meets grandiosity. This place is the 2nd richest
religious place around the globe, where nearly 5 lakhs devotees come every
month to pay vows. The Tirupati temple
also known as Shree Venkateshwara Swami Temple is the temple of deity Venkateshwara
(Lord Vishnu). Tirupati temple is located
at the hill top of Tirumala hills, which falls in the city of Tirupati, Chittoor
district, Andhra Pradesh. Tirumala hills,
which comes under the Seshachalam hill ranges, is assumed as the 2nd
oldest mountain in India.
HISTORY OF TIRUPATI TEMPLE
Tirupati temple was founded in 300 AD but during the
dominance of Vijayanagara rulers, the treasures of Tirupati Balaji Temple increased. In mid 18th century,
the generals of Maratha rulers Raghoji Bhonsle created a stable body to control
the temple activities. Later on TTD (Tirupati
Tirumala Devasthanam) was created in 1932 under TTD Act.
STORY OF TIRUPATI BALAJI
According to mythology, Once Rishi Bhrigu went to Deity
Vishnu’s place to test him. Deity Vishnu was resting at that time and didn’t
notice Rishi Bhrigu. This made Rishi Bhrigu angry and he kicked Deity Vishnu on
his chest, but rather than getting angry, Vishnu massaged Rishi Bhrigu’s feet.
By seeing this Goddess Laxmi got angry with Vishnu and left Vaikuntha. Deity
Vishnu also left Vaikuntha and searched Goddess Laxmi in forests and hills but
didn’t find her. After that, Deity Vishnu took birth as Srinivasa in Bhulok.
In Bhulok, he met Padmavathi (daughter of Akasa Raja) and
wanted to marry her. To organise a lavish wedding, Lord Srinivasa took immense amount of debt from Kuber, the wealth Lord. It is believed that this loan was
so huge that it will complete at the end of Kalyug. To help Srinivasa pay his
debt, till now huge offerings are offered by the devotees daily at the Tirupati temple.
When Goddess Laxmi came to know about the marriage of
Srinivasa and Padmavathi, she came there and confronted Srinivasa in front of
Padmavathi. When Srinivasa got confronted by both his wives, Padmavathi and
Laxmi, he converted himself in a black stone of granite (Swami Venkateshwara). Afterwards,
Deity Shiva and Brahma revealed that all these were just the ‘Leela’ done by
Deity Vishnu for the wellbeing and liberation of the people. Knowing that,
Padmavathi and Laxmi decided to be with Deity Venkateshwara Swami. That’s why
devotees witness Goddess Laxmi on the left side and Padmavathi on the right
side of Swami Venkateshwara’s idol inside Tirupati
Balaji Temple.
How to Reach Tirupati Temple
- Tirupati is easily accessible from all the major
cities of India like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore etc. by flight.
tirupati airport
- Direct trains are available from the major
Indian cities to Tirupati railway station.
Some trains run up to Renigunta Railway Station, which is approx, 10 kms away
from Tirupati City. You will easily
get trains, buses or taxis from Renigunta railway station to Tirupati.
tirupati railway station - Tirupati is well-connected with most of the cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pondicherry, Kochi etc. by bus.
Note: In Tirupati
railway station, clean waiting rooms are available with bathrooms and
dressing rooms. So you can freshen up there and go directly to Tirumala for
Darshan.
Tirupati City to Tirumala Hills
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tirupati darshan |
There are many ways by which you can get to the Tirumala Hills from Tirupati City.
- By APSRTC Buses – Every half an hour you will get an APSRTC bus for Tirumala. This bus stand is only 1km away from the Tirupati railway station. The auto fare from railway station to bus stand is 50rs (you can bargain). The APSRTC bus fare to Tirumala is 55rs per person. It takes around 1 hour to get to Tirumala bus stand. You can enjoy the breathtaking views of Tirumala during the journey.
- By rental cabs & prepaid taxis – Rental cabs like Ola & Uber are available in Tirupati, which you can book for Tirumala. Prepaid taxi counters are available outside railway station, they charge around 300rs to 500rs. The travel time is approx 1 hr.
- By private car – You can also get to Tirumala by your private cars at your own convenience.
- Via Alipiri mettu pathway – You can get to Alipiri mettu pathway starting point via auto/cabs. The fare will be nearly 70rs (you can bargain). Alipiri mettu pathway is stretched up to 11kms. It has 3680 stairs. It takes 5 to 7hrs (depend on person to person) to get to Tirumala top. This pathway is 24 hrs open. This pathway is totally roofed, with drinking water facility after every 50 stairs. Hotels are available in Gali Gopuram which is after 1800 stairs. Toilets and medical facilities are available throughout the pathway. On the way you can collect the Darshan tokens.
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alipiri mettu |
- Via Srivari mettu pathway – This is the path used by Deity Srinivasa himself. Srivari mettu is 18 kms away from railway station & APSRTC bus stand. It takes around 1hr & 20 mins to reach the hill top (depends on person to person). This pathway is stretched up to 2.2 kms. There are total 2387 stairs to get to hill top. This pathway is open at 6 am & closes at 5pm. The facility of free transport for your luggage is available at Srivari mettu. On the way you can collect Darshan tokens. Food, medical & toilets facilities are available throughout.
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srivari mettu |
Note: Nowadays Alipiri
mettu pathway is well-liked by the pilgrims than Srivari mettu pathway, but
anyways the final choice is yours only. There is a check point at the start of
journey to Tirumala hills via buses/cabs/ taxis. Any electronic items (except
mobiles, chargers & power banks) and plastic bottles are not allowed after
that check point.
Accommodation in Tirumala
After reaching Tirumala, you have to go to the CRO office for room booking. For
booking you will need your Aadhar Card. Bookings are only given to the male
persons.
1 male person = 1 room & 1 room = 6 person maximum.
No rooms will allotted to females, so u must have a male
person in your group. The rooms are allotted for 24 hrs only. For further
extension you can contact to the reception of your allotted guest house. The
room tariff starts from 50rs to 250rs depending on availability and season.
You can also book your rooms online on the TTD website (www.tirumala.org) 2 to 3 months prior to
your Tirupati Darshan. The rooms are
allotted randomly to different guest houses. These rooms are very well
maintained and include 2 single beds and attached bathrooms. You can check your
allotted guest house on the ticket given to you at the CRO office.
Outside every guest house, you will find many food stalls,
puja items stalls & souvenir stalls. Drinking water counters are available
outside every guest house.
Note: Free TTD
buses are available to take you to different places in Tirumala. Sharing taxis & jeeps are also available which takes
20rs per head.
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tirumala bus |
Also Read>>Dilwara Temples - The Magnificence of Jainism
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Tirupati Balaji Darshan
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tirupati balaji |
Tirupati Darshan
is available from 3:00 am to 12:00 pm. 1:00 am to 3:00 am temple remains closed. You have to take
Darshan tokens from token counters available outside every guest house. Types
of Darshan:
- Sarva Darshan - 1 token per person is needed for Sarva Darshan token which is for free. You need to show your Aadhar card. Sarva Darshan is a lengthy process which takes 8 to 10 hrs normally and up to 24hrs during festive days. During Darshan, chambers are there to sit & take rest. Drinking water/toilets are available throughout.
- Special/Sheeghra Darshan – For special Darshan tokens, you have to pay 300rs per person. It takes 4 to 5 hrs and can extend during festivals. Drinking water/toilets are available throught.
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tirupati darshan |
Note: No western
outfits or shorts are allowed in Tirumala. For Sarva Darshan men can wear
shirts & trousers (no jeans) or white dhoti & shirt. No caps are
allowed during Darshan. Women can wear sarees or suits. For Special Darshan
White dhoti is a must for men. If you opt for Special Darshan, it’s better to
bring a dhoti as the quality of dhotis available in the stalls of Tirumala are
not of good quality and are expensive too. Mobiles, cameras, slippers are not
allowed during Darshan.
Darshan Procedure
Deity Venkateshwara Swami avowed that the pilgrims should
take bath at the Pushkarini pond 1st and then go for the Darshan of
Deity Varaha Swami (temple located near the Pushkarini pond). After that only,
pilgrim should go for the Darshan of Tirupati
Balaji. After Balaji Darshan, pilgrims should also go for the Darshan of
Deity Padmavathi (temple located in Tirupati City). Those who will follow this procedure
will get answers to their prayers soon.
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pushkarini pond |
For Balaji Darshan,
different entry points are there in Tirumala. After taking tokens you can ask
for your nearest entry point to the TTD
employees in the token counter. On the way to Darshan, you will cross a Silver
Door & than a Gold Door, before crossing the Gold Door, you will get 2
queues (Right & Left) out of which, if you select the right queue than you
will get a better Darshan of Deity Venkateshwara Swami. After reaching the gold door, there will be 3 doors in the middle of the main sanctum & you. The priests are only permitted to go inside the main sanctum. No electric lights are permitted inside the main sanctum. So, you have to see the Deity in the light of the oil lamps only,
but the Darshan is do divine that it will give you goosebumps.
You can go for Darshan anytime but it will be better if you
take the slot of 9pm - 9:30pm. In this slot crowd will be comparatively less than
the other slots and you will get a better view of Deity Balaji and can complete
the Darshan in maximum 1-2 hours in normal days. We also opted for 9:30pm slot
and completed a hassle free Darshan. If you don’t like crowd, then avoid
weekends.
Note: TTD help
desk counters and TTD workers are available everywhere in Tirumala. If you have
any confusion with locations, please feel free to ask them. You can also
indulge in TTD Seva programs.
Prasadam
Prasadam hall is located near the Varaha Swami Guest house,
where you can have annaparsadam everyday. The timings are:
- Breakfast – 8am to 9am
- Lunch – 10am to 2.30pm
- Dinner – 8pm to 11pm
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annaprasadam hall |
Laddu prasadam counter is located near the Balaji Temple. You can buy tokens for
Laddu prasadam on the way to Balaji Darshan. After Darshan you can go to the
Laddu counters to collect the prasadam. Tirupati Laddus are very popular among
the devotees. So recently, TTD has
patented their Laddu prasadam.
1 Laddu = 180gms
We took 12 Laddu prasadam of weight 2.5kgs approx at 200rs
only. These Laddus are made of pure ghee & dry fruits & is really mouth
watering.
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tirupati laddu |
Note: Bring carry
bag for taking Tirupati Laddu prasadam otherwise, you will have to buy the carry 1st
from carry bag counter near Laddu counter.
Types of Vows and their Fulfillments
Here is a list of the types of Vows usually done at Tirupati temple for wish fulfillment:
- KalyanaKatta – In this process you can shave your head before or after the Darshan. By shaving head, you are surrendering your ego at Tirupati Balaji’s feet. Kalyanakatta main counter is near Annanadanam complex and sub counters are available near different guest houses. This is for free, so don’t pay anything.
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kalyanakatta |
- Angapradakshinam – In this process, devotees lie down on the ground and reach the temple by rolling in ground chanting Deity Balaji’s name. The intention is to humble themselves in front of Deity Balaji. This ritual is executed on the pathway called Vimana Pradakshinam near the Balaji Temple. Devotees, who want to execute Angapradakshinam, have to take tokens from token counters. Before performing this ritual devotees need to take bath at the Pushkarini (located near Varaha Swami Temple) & get to the primary temple complex by 1:45am via a particular queue which begins from PPC Sheds. Angapradakshinam can be executed only in weekends. It gets cancelled during heavy crowds.
- Walking up via Alipiri or Srivari Mettu – In this process, devotees reach Tirupati Balaji walking through Alipiri or Srivari Mettu track. During the walk, they put Haldi & Kumkum on every stair or light up diyas at every stair after the fulfillment of their requests.
- Tulabharam – In this process, devotees donate grains, sugar, jaggery, coins etc. equal to the weight of a specific person for whom they made that vow. This is usually executed for children. You can deposit the coins in the hundi. The other stuffs can be given to the authorities of temple.
- Niluvudopidi – In this process, after wish fulfillment, the devotees donate their ornaments, which they were wearing at the time of making the vow. The intention behind this is that, whatever was mine is now Lord’s.
Note: Other than
these vows, you can make your own vows as well. You can donate your offerings
inside the hundi present inside the temple.
Tirumala Sightseeing
After Tirupati Balaji
Darshan, you can spend a full day for the excursion of Tirumala hills. Here is a list of the places you can visit:
- Sila Thoranam – It is an ancient arch shaped rock formation at the top most point of Tirumala.
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shila thoranam |
- Srivari Paadalu – It is the sacred feet of Deity Tirupati Balaji. It is very close to Sila Thoranam.
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srivari padalu |
- Akash Ganga – This is a divine waterfall positioned at the hill of Venkatadri Tirumala. It’s among the renowned places of Tirumala.
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akash ganga |
- Papa Vinashan – This is a waterfall believed to be sacred & it washes away all your sins if you bathe in it. It also has medicinal powers.
- Chakra Theertham – It is a must visit place in Tirumala. Getting there is believed to be as sacred as touching God’s divine feet.
Note: For
sightseeing, you can hire cabs that are available outside the guest houses
& also outside the Annaprasadam hall. They charge around 800rs to 1200rs
(you can bargain) for 2 to 3 hours.
Best Time to Visit Tirupati Temple
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tirumala hills |
You can plan for Tirupati
Darshan all through the year. In summers, the temperature can rise up to 45
degrees and because of high humidity it feels uncomfortable to stand and wait
for Darshan in queue. So, it is better to skip the months of summer specially
April & May. These 2 months also experience heavy crowd due to summer
vacations. Winters are pleasing and perfect for planning this once in a
lifetime trip of Tirupati Balaji Temple.
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tirumala map |
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