Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD)
The Sri Venkateswara Temple, commonly known as the Tirumala Temple, is located in Tirupati, a town in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is managed and maintained by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), one of India's oldest and most revered temple organizations.
The Sri Venkateswara Temple is dedicated to Lord Sri Venkateswara, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and is considered one of the holiest and wealthiest temples in the world. It is situated on the seventh peak of the Tirumala Hills, part of the Eastern Ghats Mountain range.
To visit temples millions of devotees and pilgrims come every
year from all over the country and worldwide.
If you want to travel well and explore all places, then this blog will surely help you.
So let's see how to get started:-
DAY 1 (Travel To Tirupati / Renigunta)
First, decide the transportation you would like to travel. There are three modes to visit Tirupati by Air, Road and Train. As per convenience, you book a ticket and visit Tirupati. By air, you can be reached on the same day and if you are coming by train or road you may reach Tirupati the next day.
DAY 2 (Accommodation)
As you reach Tirupati / Renigunta you can stay in Tirupati or Tirumala as per the accommodation booking. If you want to stay in Tirumala you can go by two routes, i.e. Alipiri or bus using a bus or Taxi. In Tirumala, there are many mathas and temples that offer accommodation facilities.
Tirumala Accomodation
Tips:- If you want to stay in Tirumala make sure to book accommodation in advance from the official TTD website, otherwise getting rooms in Tirumala is very difficult, especially during festivals and also on occasions like Vaikunth Ekadashi, Shravan, Brahmostsavam, etc.
DAY 3 (Darshan & Spot visits)
Darshan: Now it's a day of taking the darshan of God Sri Venkateswara. Like you had already booked for accommodation do the same for Darshan also at a convenient time. Before taking darshan if possible take a bath in Pushkarni. Also without fail take a darshan of Varaha Swamy temple. This is a practice I will tell in another blog.
Tirumala Pushkarni
Tirumala DarshanPrasad: As the darshan gets done take a prasad, a one ladoo will cost Rs.50. After you can have a free meal in Annaprasadam.
Nearby places to visit: Now visit nearby places, there are government buses that will help you to travel to those places or also there is the availability of a private Taxi/Zeep. According to your favourable, you can travel. The following are the nearby places.
1) Srivari Padalu
2) Silathoranam
3) Japali Teertham
4) Papavinasam Theertham
5) Akasa Ganga
And much more places are there to visit.
Tips:- Suppose you are going to do darshan in January then TTD will release tickets one or two months before i.e. in November or December on their official site. TTD will release the date and time of booking at that time make sure you should be available because the tickets will be sold out within 30min to 1hrs.
And make plans for the morning or afternoon to visit nearby places. It will take around 2 to 3 hrs to visit all places. In the evening and night might visiting those spots is not possible.
DAY 4 (Come back to Tirupati from Tirumala & Darshan)
On the third day if you are staying in Tirumala come back to Tirupati in the morning time and it is best because we also have to do darshan for other places for the day in Tirupati. As you reach Tirupati you can book a room in a lodge/Hotel or else you can also stay at TTD trust accommodation place i.e. Vishnu Nilayam or Srinivasam Complex.
Vishnu Nilayam
Srinivasam
Darshan: After getting fresh visit the following temples which are nearby in Tirupati:-
1) Padmavathi Temple
2) Govindaraja Temple
3) Kapila Theertham
4) Mangapuram
All the places you visit by bus or you can book a private vehicle.
Tips:- To have a quick darshan you can also take special entry darshan tickets.
DAY 5 (kanipakam & Vellore)
On day 5, we need to wake early because on this day we need to take the darshan of God Ganesha in Kanipakam and Vellore Mahalakshmi Temple. This temple is far from Tirupati so it's better to get the board in a bus in the early morning.
Kanipakam: First take the bus to Kanipakam from Tirupati Bus stand, from early morning onwards the government bus facilities are available. It will take 1:30 hrs to 2hrs to reach. The bus will drop you nearest to the temple at a walkable distance. Before visiting the temple, you need to submit your mobile and camera to the counter and recollect later after completing the darshan. Kanipakam Ganapati idol is swayambhu and it has powerful spiritual energy.
Tips:- You can also do seva in the temple and accommodation facilities also there you can get available from the official website of Kanipaka Devasthanam.
Vellore: Vellore Mahalakshmi Temple is situated in Tamil Nadu. After taking darshan come back to the Kanipakam bus stand and take a bus for Chittor because the direct bus to Vellore is not available. As you reach Chittor every after some interval Vellore bus is there, board into Vellore bus and as you reach your destination i.e. Vellore bus stand take an auto from there and reach to the temple. It almost takes 2 hrs to reach Vellore temple from Kanipakam.
Then submit temple your electronic devices and footwear to the counter and after taking darshan you can recollect.
Temple is known for the Goddess Mahalakshmi Golden idol and temple architecture, it attracts a large number of devotees and visitors from worldwide.
As you are done with darshan take the auto/bus to the Vellore bus stand and you will get a direct bus to Tirupati.
DAY 6 (Srikalahasti)
On 6 day, take the darshan of Srikalahasti temple. There are continuous buses from Tirupati Bus to Srikalahasti stand from morning onwards, so it is better to leave early morning so your darshan will get quickly.
This temple is dedicated to Shiva and the beautiful carving in the temple. It is also be called "Kailas of the South". A Srikalahasti name derived from Spider (Sri), Serpent (Kala) & Elephant(Hasti).
Temple is built beside of Swarnamukhi River.
Tips:- Before taking the darshan of Srikalahasteeswara take the darshan of Patal Ganapati. The Ganapati is swayambhu and known for his spiritual positive power.
And this is all about the Darshan and travel schedule. I hope you like the schedule and if you have more suggestions kindly let us know. It will help devotees and visitors to take benefits.