Tirupati India Tourist Attractions

Tirupati is a major pilgrimage and cultural city in the Chittoor district. It is thelargest city in the Rayalaseema region of the Indian state Andhra Pradesh. It is located at the foothills of the Eastern Ghats, 550 kilometres (340 mi) south of Hyderabad, the capital of the state, 250 kilometres (160 mi) east of Bangalore, 65 kilometres (40 mi) from Chittoor, and 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of Chennai.

Tirupati is famous for the richest temple Venkateswara Swamy temple dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, located about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north west of Tirupati in the Tirumala hills at an elevation of 853 metres (2,799 ft). One of the most important pilgrimage centers in the World, the temple draws millions of pilgrims and is the busiest pilgrimage centre in the world.[2] Tirupati City itself has several temples and is famous for its red wooden toys, copper and brass idols. Also, the city is a major economical and educational hub in the southern region of the state.

It is most famous for its Sri Venkateswara Temple dedicated to Vishnu, also known as Balaji in North Indian and Govinda in South Indian. The temple is located on top of Tirumala hills, while the town is located on the foothills. The Tirumala hill has seven peaks ("Sapthagiri"), said to represent the seven hoods of Adisesha, the serpent under whose hoods Vishnu resides in Vaikuntha. 

History

Lord Venkateswara is also called the Lord of the Seven Hills. This temple has acquired a special sanctity in the 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 by worshiping Lord Venkateswara. Around 50,000 pilgrims visit the temple every day.

The Pallava, Chola, Pandaya and Vijayanagar rulers were known to give funds and jewels as temple offerings.

 

Transport

By planeKing 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.

By trainTirupati 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 RoadNational 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 

Festivals 

The town celebrates most Vaishnava festivals including Vaikunta Ekadasi, Rama Navami and Janmashtami with great splendor, while the Brahmotsavam celebrated every year during September is the most important festival in Tirumala when it receives millions of devotees over a short span of a week. Rathasapthami (Magha Shuddha Saptami) is another festival, celebrated during February, when Lord Venkateswara's idol is taken in a procession around the temple chariots.
Gangamma Jathra is also celebrated as a major local festival. The Goddess Gangamma is offered animal sacrifices and also pongal and other offerings by the devotees. She is considered the sister of Lord Govinda.

Tourist attractions

Religious sites

There are many temples in Tirupati and Tirumala. Some of them are:

• Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu as Venkateswara (also known as Balaji and Srinivasa) attracts followers from a wide range of Hindu traditions.
• Alamelu Mangamma Shrine in Alamelumangapuram also called Thiruchanoor
• Padmavati Temple
• Govindaraja Swamy Temple
• Kodanda Rama Swamy Temple: Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are the presiding deities of the temple. Lord Anjaneya Swamy is seen near the foot of Lord Rama. The temple is in the heart of the city. There is also another temple dedicated to Lord Anjaneya Swamy opposite to Kodhanda Rama Swamy Temple. Prasadams are offered daily to pilgrims.
• Srinivasa Mangapuram:This temple is dedicated to Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy (married Venkateswara Swamy). According to the mythology, Venkateswara swamy, after getting married, stayed in this place for about six months and then walked to Tirumala.
• Kapila Theertham: This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati. There is a beautiful waterfall near the temple.
• ISKCON Lord Krishna Temple – The temple has its own style of architecture with the towers coloured in gold and white. The carvings of Lord Narasimha Swamy, Lord Varaha Swamy and Krishna Leela are marvelous. Glass painting works on the windows depicting Lord Krishna's playful acts and the ceilings decorated like Tanjore art reveals the colourful masterpiece in art work. Each pillar is decorated with ten avatars of Lord Vishnu. The temple inside the sanctum has Lord Krishna with beautifully dressed Gopis. There is a beautiful park surrounded with lot of flowers, ponds, fountains and with Krishna Leela idols. The temple is on the way to Tirumala Hills.
• Lord Shiva temple at Yogimallavaram, near to Tirupati is very old and is very famous.
• Hanuman temple at Tirumala is where Hanuman's mother Anjana did penance.
• Avanakshamma temple – 42 km from Tirupati
• Sri Venugopala Swamy Temple in Karvetinagaram, 40 km from Tirupati
• Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy Temple – Narayanavanam, 48 km from Tirupati
• Sri Prasanna Venkateswara Swamy Temple – Appalayagunta, 20 km from Tirupati
• Parasurameswara Temple – Gudimallam, 20 km from Tirupati. Though a small village, historically it is very important, because it has a beautiful Siva Temple which is popularly known as "the Parasurameswara Temple." The main importance of the temple lies in the Linga which is housed in the Garbhagriha of the temple. This is supposed to be the earliest Linga discovered so far and it has been assigned to the 2nd or 1st century BC. The name of the temple is mentioned as Parasurameswara Temple in the inscriptions.

There is also another small temple for Lord Vishnu. The place is on the foothills of Tirumala. Giant Nandikeshwara statue is seen at the entrance of the temple. There is a rock garden in Tirumala called Shilatoranam.

Other

• Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park is the second of its kind in the Andhra Pradesh. It has many species of animals and plants which are being conserved. Nearly 10 to 15 tigers are present in this zoo.
• Regional Science Center is a science center with a planetarium.

SV Zoological park is the Second largest zoo park in Asia. It has a Lion safari which has about 30 Lions.

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