Explore Andhra Pradesh
Set in a stunning position, surrounded by wooded hills capped by a ring of vertical red rocks, the Shri Venkateshvara temple at Tirumala, 170km northwest of Chennai, is said to be one of the richest and the most popular place of pilgrimage in the world, drawing more devotees than Rome or Mecca. With its many shrines and dharamshalas, the whole area around Tirumala Hill, an enervating drive 700m up in the Venkata hills, provides a fascinating insight into contemporary Hinduism practised on a large scale. The hill is 11km as the crow flies from its service town of TIRUPATI, but double that by road.
A five-minute walk from the railway station, the one temple in Tirupati itself that’s definitely worth a look is Govindarajaswamy, whose modern grey gopura is clearly visible from many points in town. The inner sanctum is open to non-Hindus and contains a splendid large black reclining Vishnu. In its own compound by the side entrance stands the fine little Venkateshvara Museum of Temple Arts. The temple’s impressive bathing tank lies 200m to the east.
Between Tirupati and Tirumala Hill, the Tiruchanur Padmavati temple is another popular pilgrimage halt. A gold vimana tower with lions at each corner surmounts the sanctuary, which contains a black stone image of goddess Lakshmi with one silver eye. A Rs40 ticket allows you to jump the queue to enter the sanctuary.
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Tirumala Hill, the Venkateshwara temple and Kapilateertham
Tirumala Hill, the Venkateshwara temple and Kapilateertham
The road trip up Tirumala Hill is a lot less terrifying now that there’s a separate route down; the most devout, of course, climb the hill by foot. The steep trail starts at Alipuri, 4km from the centre of Tirupati; all the pilgrim buses pass through – look out for a large Garuda statue and the soaring gopura of the first temple. There are drinks stalls all along the route, which is covered for most of the way. The walk takes at least four hours, and an early start is recommended. When you get to the top, you will see barbers giving pilgrims tonsures as part of their devotions.
The Venkateshvara temple (aka Sri Vari) dedicated to Vishnu and started in the tenth century, has been renovated to provide facilities for the thousands of pilgrims who visit daily; a warren of passages wind their way around the complex towards the inner sanctum; weekends, public holidays and festivals are even busier. Unless your visit is intended to be particularly rigorous, you should buy a special darshan ticket as this can reduce the time it takes to get inside by quite a few hours; for an even quicker route in, go for a seeghra darshan ticket. Both tickets can be purchased from the temple tourism office not far from the temple bus stand on Station Road: you have to sign a declaration of faith in Lord Venkateshvara, and take photocopies of your passport and visa, and the originals. Note that no electronic devices are allowed inside the temple.
At the entrance is a colonnade, lined with life-sized copper or stone statues of royal patrons. The gopura gateway leading to the inner courtyard is decorated with sheets of embossed silver; a gold stambha (flagstaff) stands outside the inner shrine next to a gold upturned lotus on a plinth. Outside, opposite the temple, is a small museum, the Hall of Antiquities. Your darshan tickets entitle you to enter the museum via shorter queues opposite the exit.
At the bottom of the hill, the Sri Kapileswaraswami temple at Kapilateertham is the only Tirumala temple devoted to Shiva.
