Feb 22, 2001 11:36 AM
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Tirupati, situated in Chittor district of AP is perhaps one of the best known places of pilgrimage after Benaras in India. It is conveniently connected with all the Southern capitals by rail & road. Moreover the Tirupati airport brings a whole lot of convenience to the Jet set pilgrim. The twin religious centres collectively known as Tirupati are - Tirupati, a typical small Indian town and Tirumala (hill comprising of 7 peaks and housing the famous temple). ''Thiru'' in Southern languages means ''Shree'' - and thus Tirupati signifies ''Lord of Wealth (Lakshmi)''. This temple still lives upto its name!
The popularity of Tirupati as a pilgrimage centre has few parallels and the Lord Balaji's abode (Sri Venkateshwara in South) is the richest one in India. It is amazing to see money flowing into the coffers of the temple in a steady torrent. An interesting traditional tale has it that, when Lord Balaji wedded Goddess Alamelu, he borrowed money from Kubera (Lord of wealth) with a promise of repaying back the same as perpetual annuity. That is why money still flows into the coffers so regularly .. in turn the Lord promises well being and prosperity to devotees taking refuge under him. The devout make it a point to close the pilgrimage with a mandatory visit to Goddess Alamelumangamma temple situated in Tirupati (downhill).
The Tirumala hills comprising of seven peaks Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrishabhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri having an altitude of 3000 + feet above sea level is accessible conveniently from the Tirupati town situated foothill. The curved hilly roads give one a sense of thrill and awe while driving.
However, I prefer trekking to the top - feat accomplished easily within 4 to 5 hours. The unhurried - early morning trek in the hilly area surrounded by greenery and nature on all sides fills one with a sense of peace and well being .. and this coupled with a sense of piety provides a great emotional recharging effect. For the nature loving pilgrims, I would definitely recommend such a trek.
Tirumala has lots of resorts maintained by the Temple board - so accommodation is not a problem for the planned traveller. For trouble free experience I would recommend advance booking of accommodation and also ''Darshan''. The inexperienced pilgrims are warned of inordinate delays in getting Darshan of the Lord - unavoidable due to the multitudes visiting daily. Besides Tirupati, there are related pilgrimage centres in and around Tirupati, which is a must in the itinerary. The cool hilly surrounding and ambience may tempt pilgrims to overstay if time is not a constraint.
Friends, while the devout and the faithful do not need any convincing to visit Tirupati, even a casual tourist or the agnostic will find Tirupati enjoyable for its weather, tourist facilities and the sheer grandeur.
