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Tirupati, at the foothills of tirumala, is the
abode of the Lord Venkateswara one of the most venerated shrines in India. One
of the oldest temples, it was patronised by Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas and
Vijayanagara kings. This place is also mentioned is the Sastras, puranas and the
Sthalamahattyas. The range of the Tirumala hills, according to the Puranas,
represents the body of the serpent Adisesha on which Lord Vishnu-protector of
the world-rests. The seven hills represent the seven heads of the serpent.
The main temple is a magnificent example of Indian temple architecture. The
shrine id dedicated to Lord Vishnu in the form of Varahaswami. The splendid
Vimana over sanctum sanatorium is plated with gold, as Dhwajasthambam or temple,
is said to be more ancient.
Other famous shrines in Tirupati town include the
Shri Govindarajaswami temple and the sacred Kapila theertham Tank, where Lord
Shiva is said to have appeared before the Sage Kapila. The Temple of Goddess
Alivelumanga, the divine consort of Lord Venkateswara, is at Tiruchanur. Another
temple dedicated to this goddess is in Sri Mangapuram, 12km from Tirupati.
Chandragiri Fort, stronghold of the Vijaynagar empire, is 11 km from Tirupati.
It is built on rock, 56 meter high and dates back to 1000 AD. Within its walls
lie the remains of ancient palaces and temples. The Tirupati Temple is the world's richest
temple. Shops around it remain open day night.
The 'holy
hill' of Tirumala in the extreme south of Andhra Pardesh is one of
the most important pilgrimage centres in India , and is claimed to be the
busiest in the world - eclipsing number of pilgrims. Tirumala
is an engrossing place where you can easily spend a whole day just wandering
around. It's one of the few temples in the India which allows non-Hindus into
the sanctum sanctorum but, despite this the place sees few foreign visitors.
On the
flip side , because it hosts an army of pilgrims from all over India
everything at Tirumala and at its service town of Tirupathi , 20 km away,
is organised to keep visitors fed , sheltered and moving. Most are housed
in special pilgrims' choultries in both Tirupathi and Tirumala. However, the
private hotels and lodges are in Tirupathi, so fleet of buses constantly ferries pilgrims up and down the hill between Tirupathi and Tirumala
from before dawn until well after dusk.
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