About Tirumala

Country: India | State: Andhra

Ideal Trip Duration: 1-2 Days

Nearest City to Tirumala: Tirupati (22 Kms), Chennai (155 Kms)

Best Time to Visit Tirumala: January to December

Peak Season: January to December

At a distance of 22 km from Tirupati, 87 km from Chittoor, 435 km from Vijayawada, 574 km from Hyderabad, 785 km from Vizag, 155 km from Chennai and 271 km from Bangalore, Tirumala, located in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, is one of the most famous pilgrimage centers in India and also one of the top places to experince Andhra Pradesh tourism. Tirumala is commonly referred as Tirupati by devotees, but they are 22 km apart and the sacred Balaji Temple is situated in Tirumala.

Tirumala, adobe of Sri Venkateswara (also known as Balaji - an incarnation of Lord Vishnu) is one of the most celebrated pilgrimage centers in India and it attracts millions of devotees every year. The Tirumala Temple is situated atop the Tirumala Hills which consists of seven peaks known as Sapthagiri at an altitude of 3,200 feet. The seven peaks represent the seven hoods of Adishesha, the serpent on whom lies Lord Vishnu.

The temple of Lord Venkateswara was built by the Tamil king Thondaimaan. The Pallavas of Kanchipuram (9th century), Cholas of Tanjore (10th century), Pandyas of Madurai and Vijayanagara Kings (14th & 15th centuries) regularly visited the temple and made large contributions towards its development. Especially, Sri Krishna Devaraya of Vijayanagara Empire contributed a lot to the temple. The statues of Sri Krishna Devaraya and his spouse stand in the premises of the temple.

The Tirumala shrine is a masterpiece of Dravidian architecture. The main sanctum contains 2 m high standing idol of Venkateswara on a lotus flanked by his consorts Bhudevi and Sridevi. The most striking feature of the awe-inspiring black idol is its fabulous diamond crown, which is said to be the most precious single ornament in the world. The Sanctorum 'Ananda Nilayam' has a glittering gold covered Vimana and gold covered gates.

Apart from the main temple, other tourist places on Tirumala hills include Akasa Ganga, Srivari Padalu, Chakra Theertham, Papavinasam, Shilatoranam, etc. There are several attractions in Tirupati town along with Kanipakam, Srinivasa Mangapuram, Tiruchanur, Talakona Falls, Srikalahasti, etc.

Accommodation is provided by TTD near the temple, which is always crowded. No private accommodation is available here. So piligrims need to book the accommodation in advance. Several devotees walk to Tirumala from Tirupati through 3500 well laid steps with roof that runs through forest (4 hours one way).

Renigunta is the nearest airport (38 km from Tirumala) which serves direct flights from Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore. Tirupati Railway Station is well connected with Hyderabad, Chennai, Trivandrum, Kanyakumari, Kakinada, Nagercoil, Kolkata, Pondicherry, Jammu, Bangalore, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar, New Delhi, Vizag, Mangalore, Gujarat, Kochi, etc. Buses are available from Tirupati as well Tirumala Hills to the adjacent cities like Chennai, Kanchipuram, Vellore, Vizag, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Usually it takes 1-2 days to visit major places in Tirumala.

Temple Timings: 5 AM to 11 PM (till 1 AM in peak season)

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Other Info
Internet Availability: Poor
STD Code: 0877
Languages Spoken: Telugu, English, Hindi, Tamil
Major Festivals: Brahmotsavam (Sep/Oct)
Notes/Tips:
Different darshan methods are available in Tirumala. There is always a huge queue for darshan which can be done through the paid darshan or through the free darshan. Special Sevas and paid darshans are a little faster than the free queue. The waiting time in the queue is typically 4-5 hours. Around 50,000 people are believed to visit the temple every day. Faster Darshan is available for elders (>65 years), parents with infants (<1 year) and physically handicapped. Please check TTD website http://www.tirumala.org/ for more details.

Eating non-vegetarian food and consuming alcohol are strictly prohibited here. Cell phones, cameras and any type of gadgets are not allowed inside the temple premises.

Tirumala wears a festive look virtually round the year and crowed all the time. Sri Venkateswara Brahmotsavams, a nine-day event, which is celebrated every year in the month of Sep/Oct is the major event. If you are planning a casual visit, avoid Brahmotsavam time & summer holidays.

How to Reach Tirumala

By Air

Nearest Airport: Tirupati - Tirupati Airport - Renigunta (38 Kms)

By Train

Nearest Train Station: Tirupati Railway Station (22 Kms)

By Bus

Nearest Bus Station: Tirumala Bus Station (0 Kms)
Tirupati (22 Kms)

Top 10 Places to Visit in Tirumala

Pilgrimage

#1 of 17 Places to Visit in Tirumala

At a distance of 1 km from Tirumala Bus Station, Lord Venkateswara Temple is an ancient and sacred temple dedicated to Sri Balaji, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Tirumala is the richest and most visited temple (of any faith) in the world. Tirumala is an ideal sacred getaway from Chennai to spend a weekend.

Tirumala, abode of Sri Venkateswara (also known as Balaji), is one of the most celebrated pilgrimage centers in India and it attracts millions of devotees every year. The temple is situated atop the Tirumala Hills which consists of seven peaks known as Sapthagiri at an altitude of 3,200 feet. The seven peaks represent the seven hoods of Adishesha, the serpent on whom lies Lord Vishnu. The temple lies on the seventh peak -Venkatadri.

The temple of Lord Venkateswara was built by the Tamil king Thondaimaan. The Pallavas of Kanchipuram (9th century), Cholas of Tanjore (10th century), Pandyas of Madurai and Vijayanagara Kings (14th & 15th centuries) regularly visited the temple .....

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Heritage

#2 of 17 Places to Visit in Tirumala

At a distance of 2 km from Tirumala Bus Station & 2.5 km from Tirumala Tirupati Balaji Temple, Sila Thoranam is a natural rock formation in the shape of an arch and it is the only one of its kinds in Asia. This is located close to Srivari Paadalu which is the highest point of Narayanagiri. Sila Thoranam is one of the best places to visit in Tirumala.

Sila Thoranam literally means garland of rocks. It is commonly known as Rock Garden. It is a natural stone arch which was found by archeologists excavating this area in 1980. This natural arch has two different types of rocks which are connected by a link. The arch like rock formation with a length of 25 feet and a height of 10 feet is said to be formed by weathering and wind erosion. The formation is categorized as pre-Cambrian and dates back to millions of years ago. The age of the rock itself has been estimated to be about 2500 million years, and the age of the arch is computed to be about 1500 million years.

It is said that .....

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Pilgrimage

#3 of 17 Places to Visit in Tirumala

At a distance of 4 km from Tirumala Bus Station & 5 km from Tirumala Tirupati Balaji Temple, Srivari Paadalu (also called Tirupada - Holy feet of the Lord) are located at the highest point of Narayanagiri and is situated near to Sila Thoranam. It is one of the important places to visit in Tirumala.

As per the mythology this is the place where Lord Venkateswara first set his feet on Earth. The foot print is available here and devotees visit this place at the top of Narayanagiri hill for the divine sight. The beautiful Tirumala temple complex and town is completely revealed from this spot. Near Tirupada there is a garden with a Shiva temple. The Srivari Paadalu now is protected with glass frame on a firm stone platform and pilgrims can't touch the foot prints.

The road to this place from the main temple of Tirumala is very scenic with dense forest filled with green vegetation. There are several cabs available to this place from the main temple, both shared and private. Pilgrims .....

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Pilgrimage | Waterfall

#4 of 17 Places to Visit in Tirumala

At a distance of 3 km from Tirumala Bus Station & 5 km from Tirumala Tirupati Balaji Temple, Akasa Ganga is a sacred waterfall on the foothill of Venkatadri Tirumala. The waterfall is about 5 km from the main Tirumala Tirupati Balaji Temple and the Tirumala Nambi family is allowed to carry the holy water from the waterfall to the temple. It is one of the popular Tirumala places to visit.

This holy theertha is found it's rendering in the Vedas and it is believed that Akasa Ganga Teertham originates from the lotus feet of Lord Venkateswara. In ancient days, the priests of the temple carry the water all the way from this part of jungle to the temple in the morning hours. This custom is still continued today, though limited to special occasions. Recently, water lines were laid into the Lord Venkateswara temple to carry the water from Akasa Ganga for regular rituals of the deity.

Bathing in this water is really refreshing and is said to wash away the evils and confer good fortune. .....

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Adventure | Wildlife

#5 of 17 Places to Visit in Tirumala

At a distance of 15 km from Tirumala and spread around Tirumala Hills, Sri Venkateswara Wildlife Sanctuary covers an area of 353 Sq. kms, over Kadapa and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh. Established in 1989, the park is a heaven for nature lovers with unfathomable valleys and striking waterfalls, surrounded by Seshachalam and Tirumala Hills. The waterfalls is also a great place for trekking and it's a nice place to visit from Chennai as a weekend getaway.

The wide range of fauna found here includes Tiger, Civet, Jackal, Black Buck, Panther, Spotted Deer, Ibex, Sloth Bear, Bonnet Monkey, Wild Dogs, Bison, Jackal, Fox, Rare Golden Gecko, Jungle Fowl, Indian Giant Squirrel, Tree Shrew, Flying Lizards, Nilgai, Wildboar, Occasional Leopard and Hyena. Fauna comprises of more than 100 species of birds, including Crested Serpant Eagle, Ashy Crowned Finch Lark, Indian Roller, Kingfishers, White bellied .....

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Pilgrimage | City

#6 of 17 Places to Visit in Tirumala

At a distance of 71 km from Chittoor, 413 km from Vijayawada, 556 km from Hyderabad, 763 km from Vizag, 134 km from Chennai and 259 km from Bangalore, Tirupati is a pilgrimage city in the extreme southeast of Andhra Pradesh in Chittoor district. It is often referred as a synonym to Tirumala (called as Tirumala Tirupati), which is a sacred temple town famous for Sri Venkateswara Temple also known as Tirumala Tirupati Balaji Temple. Tirupati along with Chandragiri is an ideal Chennai getaways for a two day trip and also one of the top Andhra Pradesh tourist places.

Tirupati is one of the most ancient and sacred pilgrimage sites in India. Tirumala, the home of Lord Venkateswara is at a distance of 22 km from Tirupati. However, Tirupati is the town and transport hub to Tirumala at the bottom .....

Distance (From Tirumala): 20 Kms
Trip Duration (From Tirumala - Including Travel): 1-2 Days
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Pilgrimage

#7 of 17 Places to Visit in Tirumala

Situated at a distance of 2 Kms from Tirumala Bus Station & 3 km from Tirumala Tirupati Balaji Temple, Chakra Theertham is the site for a water body near Sila Thornam and is associated with an interesting legend. According to the legend, Lord Brahma wanted to observe penance and to clean this place, Lord Vishnu plunged his Sudershana Chakram, thus creating a crater. It is one of the famous places of sightseeing in Tirumala.

Visiting this site is considered as good as touching the Lotus Feet of the Lord, which will deliver the devotees from their travails. The waterfall here is an amazing sight to behold and is the location where the idol of Lord Venkateswara is brought during the Brahmotsvam celebrations.

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Pilgrimage

#8 of 17 Places to Visit in Tirumala

At a distance of 1 Km from Tirumala Bus Station, Pushkarini is a huge lake adjacent to Sri Venkateswara temple. Some pilgrims bathe in Pushkarini before entering the main temple.

The Pushkarini was originally in Vaikuntam and belonged to Sri Maha Vishnu. It was set on Earth by Garuda for the sport of Sri Venkateswara. The mukkoti of Pushkarini (the merging of over three crore teerthams in Swami Pushkarini) occurs on Mukkoti Dwadasi (the twelfth day of the fortnight of Dhanur Masa). Therefore, it is believed that bathing in the Swami Pushkarini on this day, is equivalent to bathing in the holy river, Ganges.

On the western bank of the Swami Pushkarini is the Sri Varahaswami temple, while on its southern bank is the Sri Venkateswara temple. The wooden-float festival (Teppotsavam) of Lord Sri Venkateswara in the month of February/March and Avabhrudhasnanam or Chakrasnanam during Brahmotsavam takes place in the Pushkarini.

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Pilgrimage

#9 of 17 Places to Visit in Tirumala

At a distance of 1 Kms from Tirumala Bus Station, Sri Varahaswami Temple is located to the north of the Sri Venkateswara Temple on the banks of Pushkarini. According to legend, Tirumala was originally Adi Varaha Kshetra and it was with his permission that Lord Sri Venkateswara took up residence here.

According to Brahma Purana, pilgrims should first offer naivedyam to Sri Adi Varaha Swami before visiting the Sri Venkateswara Temple. According to Atri Samhita (Samurtarchanadhikara), the Varaha Avatar is worshipped in three forms, Adi Varaha, Pralaya Varaha, and Yajna Varaha .The idol of Sri Varahaswami here is that of Adi Varaha.

Timings: Not Available

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Pilgrimage

#10 of 17 Places to Visit in Tirumala

At a distance of 1 Kms from Tirumala Bus Station, Sri Bedi Anjaneyaswami Temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman is located on Sannidhi Street, opposite to the main temple.

In the Vaishnavite tradition, it is customary to have either Garuda or Anjaneya opposite the main temple. The idol of Sri Anjaneya here is shown with its hands folded in supplication (the Anjali pose). Sri Anjenaya is a devotee of Sri Rama, just as Garuda is of Sri Maha Vishnu.

Abhishekam is performed every Sunday and special offerings are made on Hanuman Jayanti.

Timings: Not Available

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