Trip to Tirupati
Tirupati is in Chittoor region of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is most popular for
its Sri Venkateswara Temple devoted to Vishnu, also known as Balaji in North Indian
and Govinda in South Indian. The temple is situated on top of Tirumala mountains,
while the city is situated on the foothills. The Tirumala mountain has seven mountains
("Sapthagiri"), said to signify the seven hoods of Adisesha, the snake under whose
hoods Vishnu exists in Vaikuntha.
History:
Lord Venkateswara is also known as the Lord of the Seven Hills.
This temple has obtained a unique sanctity in the Hindu religion. The advantages
that accumulate by a pilgrimage to this sacred city is described in the Vedas and
Puranas. Hindus all over the globe believe that in Kali Yuga its possible to obtain
mukti by worshiping Lord Venkateswara. Around 50,000 pilgrims visit the temple every
day. The Pallava, Chola, Pandaya and Vijayanagar kings were known to provide resources
and jewelry as temple promotions.
Tirumala:
Tirumala is a world in itself,
an incredible number of pilgrims from all over India and overseas visit the temple
of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala throughout the season. Moreover to various shrines
spread all over Tirumali and beyond there are sacred normal water drops, sacred
waterways and historical amazing things. It is considered as one of the most historical
temples which were described in Puranas and Sastras.
The temple is favored by the Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas, the Vijayanagar Leaders
and the later kings of Mysore. Hastakalaramam Papanasanam, Akasganga, Gogarbham,
Shilathoranam, View Point, S.V. Museum are the other places worth seeing at Tirumala.
Kapilatheetham, Hare Rama Hare Kishna Mandir, Regional Science Centre, S.V.Zoological
Park, Srinivasa Mangapuram, Kalyani Dam, Chandragiri Fort, Tiruchanur, Govindaraja
Swamy Temple are the other places worth seeing in and around Tirupathi. Visit the
Sri Varahaswami temple before taking the darshan of Sri Venkateswaraswami. As per
traditions and legend, Varahaswami owned the seven hills and agreed to give them
to Sri Venkateswaraswami with the stipulation that he too is worshiped. Therefore,
Sri Venkateswaraswami asked his pilgrims to visit the Sri Varahaswami temple before
visiting him. Carry Extra locks for your vehicle as well as rooms.
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Transport Information
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 km from Tirupati) and Gudur (100 km) as well. Frequent
bus service is available between Tirupati, Renigunta and Gudur.
By Road:
National Highway NH 205 passes through Renigunta and hence is accessible from Chennai
(3-4hrs), Bangalore (5+ hours), Hyderabad (10-12 hours) 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
By plane:
King Fisher operates daily flights to Hyderabad
@ 08.10 Hrs; Indian Airlines operates daily flights to Hyderabad (New Delhi) @ 14.20
Hrs; Jet Air Ways operates daily flights except on Tuesdays to Hyderabad @ 13.50
Hrs; King Fisher operates daily flights except on Tuesdays to Hyderabad(Vizag) @
13.50 Hrs From Chennai airport to Tirupati: Use this route if you have little luggage
and are comfortable walking for short distances (and want to try a cheaper, alternative
route to Chennai Central). From Chennai airport, you can walk over to the local
suburban railway station (Tirusulam, about 5 minutes away) and take a local train
to Park Station (Rs. 7, about 30 minutes). Chennai Central is a 5-10 minute walk
from Park Station. From Chennai Central, there are frequent long distance train
services to Tirupati.
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