Feel the Divinity at Tirupati Balaji Temple
The most sacred place in India is known by the name of the town of Tirupati – Balaji. It is famous for Lord Venkateshwara Deity. The name Tirupati-Balaji signifies the ‘lord of Lakshmi’. The shrine is located on a hill at Tirumala, a cluster of seven hills known as Venkatachalam with an elevation of 853 meter above the sea level.
According to people it is the richest temple in the world, this temple is a vibrant cultural and philanthropic institution with a grand history. The architecture of the temple is such that the Cupola over the sanctorum is covered entirely with gold plate and is known as “the Ananda Nilayam”. The shrine consists of three ‘Prakarams’ or enclosures
No paper or document is available to guess the exact age of Tirupati Temple. There are many versions that do the round about its origin. The entire temple is constructed in Dravidian style. One thing that can be said with certainty is that it was built before 500 A.D as there are references found on the temple in literature as old as 500 A.D. Thousands of pilgrims pay a visit to the temple every day.
It was only in the 12th century that the deity of the temple was identified as Lord Vishnu by great scholar Ramanujam. There are number of small shrines inside the premises apart from the main sanctum sanctorum. All the rulers who ruled Andhra Pradesh donated huge amount of gold to the temple helping it become as wealthy as it is today.
How to Reach:
There are direct flights to Tirupati from Hyderabad and Chennai only. The nearest railway station is named as Tirupati. There are trains that travel via Renigunta or Gudur, but do not touch Tirupati. In such cases, Renigunta or Gudur, are convenient points to alight. From Renigunta or Gudur you can reach Tirupati by train, bus, or taxi. APSRTC buses run from all the important places in the state and between Tirupati and Tirumala. TTD also runs buses between Tirupati and Tirumala.
Where to Stay:
One of the primary objectives of Tirumala Tirupati Devsthanams (TTD) is to ensure that comfortable accommodation is provided to pilgrims at a very reasonable cost. TTD has constructed approximately 4850 cottages and guesthouses both at Tirupati and Tirumala. TTD provides accommodation free of cost to pilgrims who cannot afford to pay for their stay in Tirupati and Tirumala.
Further, to ease the demand for accommodation, TTD has built Public Amenities Complexes at both Tirupati and Tirumala, which provide dormitory-type accommodation with lockers, free of cost. Sri Venkateswara Dharmasala is the dharamshala providing the single and double bed rooms at very lower rates affordable for all the people. There is one of the Guest house called Sri Venkateswara Guest House having with non air condition rooms. Sri Padmavathi Guest House (AC), situated on the Chittor road is providing all the luxurious facilities.
Further Readings: Agra Travel and Hotel Booking India
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