Important places around Tirupathi to visit
Tirupathi is a very well known pilgrim centre located in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. The Lord Venkateswara temple on the top of seven hills is very famous and the richest temple in the world. Many people are visiting this place every day to have a darshan of the Lord Venkateswara here. In this article in addition to the above temple, the other places which are to be seen during a trip to Tirupathi are narrated.
Introduction
Tirupathi, the Spiritual Capital of Andhra Pradesh is a very famous pilgrim place. The main temple of Sri Venkateswara Swamy on the top of seven hills is very famous and world-renowned. Many people will be visiting this place and having the blessings of God there. In addition to this temple, there are other historical temples. The city is regarded by India's Ministry of Tourism as Best Heritage City. The city is at the feet of Seshachalam Hills of Eastern Ghats.
Tirupathi is a smart city with an international airport and a well-developed railway Station. The Capital of Tamilnadu 'Chennai' is very near to this place. Tirupathi is well connected by Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh by road. There are trains from all important cities of India. There are flights from Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, and Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and other important places in India. Recently the airport has become an international airport.
Tirupathi is having very good restaurants and hotels to stay. There are guest houses belonging to the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam, the Governing body of Lord Venkateswara temple. We can book these guesthouses online based on the availability. We can book either on the hilltop "Tirumala" or Tirupathi also. There are star hotels, middle range hotels and OYO rooms as per the needs of the individual and based on their capacity. Local buses are available to go round the city and to go to Tirumala. There are free buses in Tirupathi to go around the places of importance. These buses are operated By TTD. There are free buses at Tirumala also. Cabs are also available for visiting other important paces around the city.
The important temples are mentioned below- Important Temples
Venkateswara Temple
This temple is supposed to be the richest temple in the world. The deity is Venkateswara Swamy and also famous as Balaji. Lord Sri Venkateswara is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Daily around 1,00.000 people will be visiting this temple. A very elaborate arrangement is in place to see that the people will be comfortable while staying in the queue for the darshan. Daily free food will be served to almost a lakh of people in the Annadana Satram near the temple. It will be a pleasure to see so many people eating food together there irrespective of the caste and creed. The food is very hygienic and People feel this as the Prasadam of Lord Balaji. In addition to this temple on the hilltop, there are places worth to see like Papanasanam, a waterfall and Akasaganga, another waterfall. People should visit the temple wearing clothes as per the dress code of the temple. Smoking and drinking of liquor are not allowed on the hilltop. There are buses to go to Tirumala from Tirupathi. There are two walkways to go to the temple. The pilgrims coming on foot from Tirupathi to Tirumala using one of these two roads will be given separate queue for the Darshan.
The few minutes we spend inside the temple will make our mind calm and we will feel ourselves in a place where there are no problems and difficulties. The systems here are very well maintained and we will never feel as if we are tired even after spending some few hours in the queue for the Darshan.
After completing the Darshan the pilgrims will come back to Tirupathi. They will visit the following places based on the time available. A 4 day stay in Tirupathi is required to complete all the places including Lord Balaji darshan.
The other important temples are-Padmavathi Temple
This temple is also known as Alamelumagamma temple in addition to Padmavathi Temple. The location of this temple is Tiruchanoor, also known as Alamelumangapuram. This temple is near to Tirupathi and the deity is the consort of Lord Venkateswara. This temple is one of the well-known temples of Andhra Pradesh.Govindaraja Temple
The deity here is Govindaraja an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. This temple is in the heart of the Tirupathi city. The temple is a huge complex where the main shrine is Govindaraja and many other sub shrines are also located.Kalyana Venkateswara Temple
This temple is also dedicated to Venkateswara Swami only. The name of the location is Srinivasamangapuram. This place is about 12 km from Tirupathi in Chittoor District. The Archaeological Survey of India has declared this temple as an ancient monument of National importanceKapila Theertham
In this place, there is a very famous Siva temple. This place stands at the entrance to a mountain cave. There is a waterfall here by name Kapil Theertham and the temple is located at the base of the Kapila Theertham waterfalls.Srikalahasti
This Temple is located 36 km away from Tirupathi. This is an important ancient Shiva Temple located in Southern India. The sculpture of this temple is very attractive and we can spend a lot of time enjoying the temple carvings and architectural designs inside the temple.Kodandarama Temple
There are free buses from Tirupathi to visit this Kodandarama Temple. It is one of the very well-known temples in the region of Tirupathi. The deity in this temple is Lord Rama. One should not miss this temple during their visit to Tirupathi.Japali Teertham
There is a Hanuman Temple at Japali Teertham. Many pilgrims will visit this temple which is situated in the dense forest. About a kilometre walk is required to reach this place and it is advisable to finish darshan and come back before Sunset.Varahaswami Temple
This temple is also located on the hilltop on the banks of river swami Pushkarni. Sri Varahaswami Temple is also known as Sri Bhu Varaha Swami Temple.Other temples
The other temples which can be visited around Tirupathi are Golden Temple at Sripuram, Vinayaka Temple at Kanipakam, etc. Other Places
The tourist places near Tirupathi are Chandragiri, TTD Gardens, Talakona Waterfall, Silathoranam Natural Arch and Venkateswara Zoological Park.
Reaching there:
Nearest Railway Station: Tirupathi Railway Station
Nearest Bus Station: Tirupathi APSRTC Bus Stand.
Nearest Airport: Tirupathi international Airport.