Indian
States
Andhra Pradesh
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.
Facts
of the Triupati
Altitude 150 m. 860m.
Best Season Throughout the Year.
Temparature (deg C) Summer : Max. 43 Deg.C. Min 22.3 Deg.C.
Winter : Max. 32 Deg.C. Min 14.9 Deg.C.
Rainfall
STD Code : 0981
