Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple is one of the famous Hindu Vaishnavite temples. The temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, an incarnation of Lord Sri Maha Vishnu. It is situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. It is believed that Lord Vishnu appeared here to save mankind from the clutches of this dark age Kaliyuga. Hence people refer to this place as Kaliyuga Vaikuntam and the Lord as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam. The temple is run by a board called Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams(TTD) whose head is appointed by the Andhra Pradesh government. The temple is one of the richest Hindu temples and remains crowded all year round. On average daily 50 thousand to 1 lakh pilgrims visit the temple and the number gets increased during festivals.
The Seven Hills
The Tirumala hills are situated 3200 feet (980 m) above sea level and comprise seven peaks. These seven peaks represent the seven heads of Adisesha (Holy snake and Lord Sri Maha Vishnu’s protector) and their names are:
- Vrushabhadri – Hill of Nandi (Lord Shiva Vahana)
- Anjanadri – Hill of Lord Hanuman
- Neeladri – Hill of Neela Devi
- Garudadri – Hill of Garuda (Lord Vishnu Vahana)
- Seshadri – Hill of Sesha (Dasa of Lord Vishnu)
- Narayanadri – Hill of Narayana
- Venkatadri – Hill of Lord Venkateswara Swamy
The temple is located on the seventh peak -Venkatadri and is called the “Temple of Seven Hills”.
Places To Visit Around Tirumala
Besides the iconic sacred temple of Lord Sri Venkateswara Swamy, there are many other places to visit on the Tirumala hills. Some of the most visited sites in Tirumala are:
- Chakra Theertham – The Legendary Water Body
- Sila Thoranam – The Solid Rock Formation
- Sri Venugopalaswamy Temple – Lord Krishna Temple
- Srivari Paadalu – The Holy Feet of the Lord Balaji
- Akasa Ganga – The Sacred Waterfall
- Papa Vinasam – The Healing Waterstream
- Japali Theertham – Lord Hanuman Temple
Sarva Darshan(Free Darshan)
Sarva Darshan is the darshan where devotees have the darshan of Lord Balaji free of cost. Sarvadarshanam means ‘darshan for all’. There is no ticket for this Darshan.
Sarva Darshan Reporting Time & Place
- Reporting Time – No Time
- Reporting Place – Devotees have to enter Q-lines that reach the Vaikuntam-2 Q-complex.
Divya Darshan(Foot Path Darshan)
Divya Darshan is for people who come by foot to Tirumala through Alipri Mettu or Srivari Mettu. Darshan Tokens for people who come by Alipiri Route will be issued at Bhudevi Complex and for people who come by Srivari Mettu Route will be issued at 1240 th Step.
Darshan Tickets issued per Day:
- Alipiri : 10,000 tickets
- Srivari Mettu: 5000 tickets.
Divya Darshan Reporting Time & Place:
- Reporting Time – As per the time mentioned in the token
- Reporting Place – Vaikuntam-2 Q-complex
Divya Darshan Tokens General Information:
- An Aadhaar card is mandatorily required to get the token.
- Tokens are issued based on bio-metric and are not transferrable to others.
- For kids below 12 years, tokens will not be issued as darshan is free for them.
- Tokens will be verified at multiple places before reaching Tirumala Hills.
- Carry the token till you collect the laddu after the darshan.
Alipiri Mettu Footpath Distance and Timings:
- Total Steps: 3550
- Total Distance: 9 km
- Open Time: 4 am to 10 pm.
- Approximate time to reach: 3 to 5 hours based on each individual.
Srivari Mettu Footpath Distance and Timings:
- Total Steps: 2388
- Total Distance: 2.1 km
- Open Time: 6 am to 6 pm
- Approximate time to reach: 2 to 3 hours based on each individual.
Facilities at Alipri and Srivari Mettu Footpath:
- Free bus facility provided by TTD from the Bus stand and Railway Station to the location.
- Free Luggage Deposit Counters are located at respective footpaths where pilgrims can deposit their luggage and later collect the same at the Luggage counters in Tirumala.
- Bathroom facilities.
- Drinking water.
- Security who is accessible 24×7.
Seegrah darshan(Special Entry Darshan)
Seegrah Darshan or Special Entry Darshan(SED) is the darshan where devotees have the darshan of Lord Sri Venkateswara Swami by paying a fee. The time taken for darshan is very less when compared to Sarva Darshan.
It requires advance booking of tickets and hence provides hassle-free darshan within a couple of hours. Pilgrims can book darshan tickets in advance from the official website of TTD.
Dress Code for Seegrah Darshan
Pilgrims coming for Special Entry darshan have to wear traditional dresses only and below are the guidelines:
- Male : Dhothi, Shirt / Kurtha, Pyjama
- Female: Saree, Half Saree, Chudidhar with Pyjama
Accommodation
TTD provides both Free and Paid accommodation facilities at Tirupathi as well as Tirumala for the devotees. Again in Paid accommodation one can avail advance booking facility as well by booking online from the official website of TTD.