A Guide To Tirupathi

The history of Tirupathi:

Tirupathi, a city in Andhra Pradesh is home to one of the richest temples in the world- Sri Venkateswara Temple. The temple sits atop the seven peaks of the Tirumala Hills while the city is located at the foothills. Tirumala Hills is part of the Eastern Ghats, a mountain range that runs along the South Eastern part of India. The hills have seven peaks which are a representation of the seven hoods of the Adisesha, the serpent under whose hood Lord Vishnu, the Supreme God resides at Vaikuntha.

Regarded as a sacred temple in the Vedas and Puranas of the Hindu religion, the temple is thronged by millions of devotees who seek redemption for their sins. The temple is located on the seventh peak Venkatachala and attracts scores of pilgrims owing to its sanctity and largely held beliefs by people about the positive reverence of its strength. The temple exudes a very strong vibe with several devotees claiming that one who sets foot on its ground will be rid of all sins and attain moksha in the Kali Yuga. The temple has a rich history to it and rulers of the Vijayanagar, Pallava and Chola dynasty have made large contributions to the temple as offerings. It is not just the location, diety and the opulence of the temple that make it a sacred shrine to visit. There are some facts about the temple that may be impossible to believe but would definitely make you consider visiting it even if you are an atheist. Here are some mind-boggling and interesting facts:

• The materials for the ritual worship of the deities housed in the temple are sourced from an undisclosed village, about 22 km away and has never been seen or visited by anyone
• The main idol may seem to look like it is in the centre of the sanctum sanctorum, however, it is not and is located to the right-hand corner of the shrine
• You may have heard of people shaving their thick tresses as an offering to the Lord. But you may definitely not know that the hair worn by the Lord is real, smooth and faultless. Legend has it that the Lord lost some of his locks when he descended to Earth and a Neela Devi a Gandharva princess offered some of her lovely tresses to him. The Lord gladly accepted her devotion and promised that any devotee sacrificing their hair will be blessed forever
• You may be nowhere close to the sea on the hills, but try putting your ears close to the diety’s image at the rear of the shrine. You will hear the sound of resounding enormous waves of the sea!
• Just as the light for the love of the Lord in a devotee’s heart can never be extinguished, the earthen lamps before the idol in the sanctum sanctorum have been burning since long and no one knows when they were lit. Belief is that they will keep burning till the end of time!
• The back of the idol is always moist even after continuous attempts by the priests to wipe it on a regular basis
• The flowers offered during the morning Puja ritual are not thrown out of the sanctum sanctorum but in the waterfall flowing from the rear side of the idol. Priests then refrain from looking at the rear side for the rest of the day and the flowers are found at Yerpudu, 20 km away from Tirupati.
• The idol is resistant to the chemical reactions of camphor smeared over it even though research has proven that camphor leads to cracks and fissures of any object that comes in contact with it
• The idol may be carved of stone, but has life! The idol has a temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit even though it rests in the hills and every morning after the Abhishekam ( holy bath), the idol is left with beads of sweat wiped with a silken fabric.
• Every Thursday priests remove the ornaments on the idol for the holy bath and priests have said they come out with a sense of warmth.

Getting around to the temple:

The glorious past and inexplicable trivia are surely enough reasons for you to plan your visit.  There are several ways to get to the temple. You can book a private taxi from Tirupati and there are several buses operated by Andhra Pradesh State Transport and Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams. The journey will take you about 1 hour. The Divya Darshan is available for devotees who wish to walk all the way to the temple. There are two routes, one starting from Alipiri and the other from Srivarimettu. Consisting of 3550 steps, the walk is open all day and will take about 3-4 hours to reach the top. After reaching the top, devotees can take a bath and deposit their luggage and join the queue for darshan.

The legend goes that the Alarmelmangapuram temple at Tiruchanoor should be visited before visiting the Lord Balaji. The story also goes that Sri Varahaswami owned the seven hills and donated them to the Lord on the condition that he must be worshipped too. Therefore, Sri Venkateswara wants his devotees to visit these two temples before they come to seek his blessings.

How to reach Tirupathi from Chennai:

There are a number of cabs to Tirupathi from Chennai. Book a Chennai to Tirupathi cab with a trusted vendor that offers a range of features. Customers are assured of timely pick-up and drop facility at their doorstep. Our drivers are well-informed and make sure passengers are comfortable throughout the journey.

Distance and time taken:

If you are planning to book a cab to Tirupati, the entire journey of 140 km would take about 4 hours, dependent on the starting point and the traffic conditions on the day of travel. Book an affordable and spacious cab in Chennai through a service that offers a transparent billing system, customer friendly chauffeurs, 4 seater or 6-7 seater cars and above all zero cancellation fees.