Tirumala & Nearby Temples

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 2^nd 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.

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 1^st / 2^nd 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).

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

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.

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. 

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.

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 13^th 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.

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.