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| Tirupati Airport |
In June, 2025 we made our pilgrimage to Tirumala and took the opportunity to visit some nearby temples, some of them for the very first time. This blog describes this yatra and provides information that might be useful if the reader wishes to also go to these holy places like us.
Day 1
On Day 1 of
our yatra, we took a noon flight to Tirupati from Mumbai which had a halt at
Hyderabad. As it was a late flight, we could finish our morning prayers &
puja comfortably before leaving for the airport. During our brief halt at
Hyderabad airport, we visited a restaurant called Café Niloufer where we could
get very good vegetarian fare. They cooked in front of us in a very hygienic
way and the food was very tasty.
When we
reached Tirupati it was nearly 5 p.m. We had arranged a Innova car for our stay
which was waiting for us. We got in and, as advised by our driver Babu, we
proceeded directly to Padmavati temple at Tiruchanur which was on the way. We
had to leave our mobile phones in the car. The dress code here is not as strict
as in Tirumala. Being evening time, the crowds were less but we still decided
to take the special entrance ticket (Rs. 200 per person) to save on time. The
location of the counter was a bit of a walk but the darshan was over in less
than 15 minutes. It was very satisfying to start the trip with the darshan of
His consort.
Later, we
went to a restaurant outside the main entrance (called Anand Bhavan, I think)
where we had good Bhajji & coffee. From here, we got back into the vehicle
(after contacting the driver through the phone of the restaurant cashier). From
here, we proceeded to a Guest House called Vijayashree Guest House which is
located in the main town. We were given a unit / flat on the 2nd
floor which had 3 bedrooms with attached bath), a sitting room and a common
bathroom. The cost was Rs. 2000 per bedroom. As we needed only two bedrooms,
one was kept locked. The rooms were very nice and clean and the AC was working
fine and we didn’t see / feel any mosquitoes.
After
freshening up and doing my evening prayers, we left for ISKCON temple which was
very close by. After darshan, we had our dinner at their restaurant called
Govindas – the food was only average. Later, we went back and retired for the
night as we were tired and had an early morning program the next day.
Day 2
We woke up
early and were ready by 5 a.m. after finishing morning prayers etc. The driver
came a little late and by 5.20 a.m., we were proceeding towards Tirumala. At
Alipiri check point, we had to get out of the car along with bags if any and
proceed by foot through the check point where all devotees are frisked to
prevent carrying prohibited items up the holy hill. Likewise, each vehicle too
is checked thoroughly. As it was early, this process got completed in about 10
minutes. After this, the drive uphill was smooth. It took us about 40 minutes
to reach the top of Tirumala. Our driver took us to the spot where the break
darshan ticket queue was – there were already about 150 people in the queue at
that time. The air was pleasant, and a cool breeze was flowing. The ticket
counter opened at 7 a.m. which meant a wait time of nearly 2 hours. People who
came later may have waited for a longer duration. Every day 1000 tickets are
issued for the break darshan and each person desirous of darshan has to
personally come along with a photocopy of id document. The process is smooth –
each devotee who is issued the ticket has the id verified along and
photographed. The ticket costs Rs. 10,500/- per person which includes a
donation towards the Corpus of Rs. 10,000/-. Payment can be made through UPI or
credit cards. There is no dress code for this queue.
After getting
the tickets, we went to Varaha Swami temple for darshan. We first had a short
visit to the Pushkarini pond where we washed out feet & hands and sprinkled
some water on our heads as a form of symbolic bath. There was a long queue at
the Varaha Swami temple which got further delayed as there was a break for mid-day Naivedyam or offering of food to the deity. We got our darshan after about 50
minutes.
We then went
by foot to our car which was parked nearby. Then we came down to Tirupati and
had our brunch at Adyar Anand Bhavan. It was 11 a.m. at that time. The food at
this restaurant was good but service was slow and poor. After brunch, we
proceeded towards Sri Kalahasthi temple which is situated about 42 kms
away. It took us about an hour to reach here and, although it was afternoon 1
p.m., there was a large crowd here at this time. We decided to take special
darshan (Rs. 200 per person) to save time as it was very warm at this time.
Mobile phones are not allowed inside and there is a safe deposit counter near
the entrance where one can keep the mobile. There is no dress code for this
temple but it is better to be dressed in traditional dress as we found out
later.
The quick
darshan queue was quick and we joined the regular queue near the entrance to
the Sanctum. We had a superb darshan of the Vayu Lingam (there is a breeze
flowing continuously in the sanctum which can be seen from the flickering lamps)
which was mostly uncovered without many flowers / ornaments. It is quite a tall
Lingam which is unique. There are Sthala Puranas (stories related to this
Kshetra) which are available on Google, and I will not write about it in this
blog. Here we found out that by paying a small tip to the attendants here one
is allowed to enter the sanctum – all other devotees are allowed to view the
Lingam from the door only. However to go inside the sanctum, one has to wear
traditional dress like Dhoti / Saree.
After this,
we came out and had darshan of Gnana Prasunambika Devi (another name for
Parvati) who has a separate shrine within the temple. Then we had darshan of
Ganeshji, the Vimana of the temple (there is a opening from which one can see
the Gopuram – considered auspicious), and Dakshinamoorthy before exiting the
temple. Doing pooja for Rahu – Ketu is considered very beneficial at this
temple but due to paucity of time and the fact that we were not in traditional
dress, we skipped this.
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| Gudimallam |
We then came
out and as it was warm, we had fresh coconut water to cool ourselves. Then we
drove down towards a unique Shiva temple in Gudimallam. This temple is about
26 kms from Tirupati. This is a small temple complex with neatly manicured
lawns surrounding it. The tall Lingam called Parasurameswara has a phallic
shape and is believed to have been built in the 1st / 2nd
Century BC – one of the oldest surviving Shiva Lingas. The Lingam is nearly 5
feet tall – the front portion has an image of Shiva in a hunter pose with a
battle axe (Parasu) and wearing many bracelets & an elaborate necklace
standing on a dwarf Yaksha. There is a small opening in the Graba graham
through which water comes in mysteriously once a year and covers the Lingam. It
is believed that this is Ganga who comes to do Abhishekam of the Lingam. There
are smaller shrines of Surya, Karthikeya with consorts and Anandavalli in the
temple.
We purchased
some crispy thin vadas outside the main temple and found it to be very tasty.
Then we proceeded back to Tirupati to our hotel where we took rest for some
time. After finishing our evening prayers, we went to Kapila Theertham
temple which was nearby. This was my first ever visit to this only Shiva temple
maintained by Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD).
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| Kapilatheertham |
We started by
first visiting the Nama Alwar temple located near the entrance. This is a
Vaishnava temple dedicated to the Saint Nammalwar. We were lucky to receive
piping hot prasadam from the priest there who gave special attention to us. We
then proceeded to spend some time at the Pushkarini (temple tank) which is very
picturesque. It is believed that Kapila Muni had a vision of Siva & Parvati
here after they were pleased with his penance performed here. The Lingam here
is Swayambhu. The temple is constructed adjoining the Tirumala Hills which
present a rocky face from where one can witness waterfalls during monsoon. The
water flowing from the mountain gets accumulated in the Pushkarini which is
considered very holy. Luckily there were few visitors at this time which meant
we could have a leisurely darshan of Nandi, Lord Shiva and Parvati Devi. We
also had darshan of Ganesha, Subramani and Krishna accompanied by Rukmini and
Satyabhama. After this, on our way out, we visited the Hanuman temple. I
strongly recommend every visitor to Tirupati to compulsorily make time to visit
this lovely temple.
As it was
late evening, we decided to have a light dinner at a restaurant called Orbit.
The food and service were excellent. We walked back to our room and retired for
the day.
Day 3
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| Pushkarini |
We woke up
early and finished our morning prayers before proceeding to Tirumala by 6 a.m. Our
break darshan was scheduled for 7.30 a.m. and we were at the gate by that time.
All devotees are expected to wear traditional dress only for entry into Balaji
temple. Men can wear dhoti with Angavastram or Pyjama Kurtas and ladies are
allowed to wear Saree or Chudidhars. As this is a special darshan, we did not
have to wait long in the waiting halls – only about 45 minutes or so. During
this time, we were served piping hot sambhar rice prasadam which was very
tasty. The queue movement was orderly. Within an hour or so, we were inside the
temple. The darshan was fantastic as we were allowed to go very close to the Deity
(about 12 feet away) and, as it was a Thursday, there was minimal alankaram or
decoration on Him. His eyes were uncovered and we relished those moments of
seeing our Venkateshwara from such proximity. They also gave us a Shadari (keeping
the headpiece that symbolises the feet of Balaji) on our heads and also gave us
plantains as prasadam. There was no pushing or shoving and we felt very
comfortable to have such a peaceful & blissful darshan.
After this we
came out, purchased the famous laddoos from the counters and then reached the
area where our car was parked. Then we drove down with our minds filled with
the unique divine darshan. After reaching down, we went to the restaurant Orbit
for brunch. It was crowded but we got a free table and had a hearty breakfast.
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| Narayanavanam |
From here, we
proceeded to a place called Narayanavanam which is about 40 kms away
from Tirupati. This is a temple managed by TTD and is the place where the holy matrimony of Lord Venkateshwara and Padmavathi
Ammavaru took place. As per legends, Narayanavanam used to be the capital of
the King Akasaraja who ruled over this region and Sri Padmavathi was his
daughter. This temple was constructed in 1541 A.D.
It was past
noon when we arrived here and, fortunately, the temple was open. There were
hardly any devotees at this time and we could have a leisurely darshan. It is
one of the few temples where one can see Venkateshwara Swamy with Padmavati and
Mahalakshmi in a single temple complex. The presiding deity looks very similar
to the deity in Tirumala and is said to have been consecrated by Bhrigu
Maharishi. The deity is also known as Konetiraya Swamy as the deity was
preserved in the large temple tank called Koneru during Muslim invasion.
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| Nagalapuram |
From here we proceeded to a place called Nagalapuram which was about 27 kms away. This place is famous for the Vedanarayana temple which was built by the Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadeva Raya and dedicated to the Matsya (Fish) avatara of Vishnu who killed the demon called Somakudu and retrieved the Vedas from him. The temple is majestic with multiple large doorways / Gopurams. The sanctum has Maha Vishnu in Matsya form with Sridevi and Bhudevi on either side. He is seen holding the Sudarshan chakra ready for deployment. As the temple was under renovation we couldn’t see it completely. We were given nice pulihora rice as prasadam and it was very tasty. We also drank cool water from a tap nearby which was soothing in the hot weather. This place is very scenic and quite a favourite among trekkers and picnickers during the cool months of November to February.
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| Nagalapuram |
After this,
we went to a place called Surutapalli which is only 11 kms away and is
famous for the Sri Pallikondeshwara Swamy temple which has Shiva in a
reclining posture. Legend has it that the pradosha puja (conducted during dusk
time of the 13th day of both lunar cycles) of Shiva originated from
this place. Unfortunately, when we reached, the temple was closed for the
afternoon and we could not have the darshan. Yatris should cover this temple
first as the other temples are open during afternoon also.
From here we
returned to our hotel in Tirupati and took some rest. In the evening, we
visited a very beautiful temple within Tirupati which not frequented by most
devotees who come here. It is the Kothandaraman temple in the heart of the town
which is maintained and managed by TTD. The main deities of the temple are
Sita, Rama & Lakshmana. It also has a separate shrine for Lord Anjaneya. It
is believed that on His way back from Lanka, after defeating Ravana, Lord Rama
rested here for awhile. Jambavan had built the temple here after Rama left for
Ayodhya. In the sanctum, Sita stand to the right of Rama who is holding the Kothanda
bow and arrows in His hand. Lakshmana stands to His left. There is no Hanuman
within the sanctum – locals believe that this is because the temple was built
by Jambavan. This temple is a serene and wonderful oasis situated as if
secluded from the rush of the millions of devotees who throng Tirupati. A must
visit for all lovers of Lord Rama.
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| Nagalapuram |
When we were
there, we saw a trio who were playing music and singing songs for the Lord. Their
offering was simple, soothing and soulful and they performed only for the
pleasure of the deities. It was very satisfying to hear them in the evening
time in a place which was nearly empty and yet they sang with full heart and
devotion.
After this,
we visited the Kanchi Mutt which was located close by. Both the pontiffs of the
Mutt, HH Sri Vijayendra Saraswati and HH Sri Satya Chandrasekarendra Saraswati,
were observing Chaturmasya vratam at Tirupati. We carried fruits and had to wait in a small queue for their
darshan. We got an opportunity to have a brief conversation with HH who
made enquiries about us and blessed us. They also gave us a few books about
Maha Periyava and Adi Shankaracharya which was a huge shower of grace upon us.
The Chandramouleshwar
puja by HH was scheduled for 8.30 p.m. As we were tired after a hectic day and had an early morning flight to catch, we
decided to skip attending the puja. We proceeded to have a light dinner at a restaurant called Jalpan which was very decent. Then we came back to our hotel to pack our bags before going to
bed.
Day 4
We had an early morning flight back to Mumbai. We came back to Mumbai with a treasure of memories to think from time to time and relish.
