India is the land of over a million temples and pantheons of gods and goddesses. No temple however evokes the sense of awe and grandeur that Tirupati does. The abode of Lord Venkateshwara, the avatar of Mahavishnu, Tirupati is the ultimate pilgrimage point for millions of people across India and the world. The atmosphere of intense spirituality on the hallowed hills of Tirumala is unrivalled. 19 million people throng this temple throughout the year. Most of them stand relentlessly for nearly 40 hours before getting a glimpse of the Lord. As their feet tremblingly make their way into the main shrine, anticipation and heart rending devotion is palpable in the air. In the background, one hears the continuous rendition of the sacred invocation ?Om Namo Narayana?. As the deity finally comes into view, people literally keep their eyes pinned on him for those precious few seconds that they are allowed to stand before his image. Apart from the priceless crown and jewellery that adorns the Lord, you are compellingly drawn to notice his closed eyes. It is believed that ordinary mortals cannot withstand the brilliance and power of the Lord?s gaze and hence his closed eyes.

History
Tirupati is derived from two Tamil words, ?Tiru? meaning ?Lakshmi, the goddess? and ?Pati? meaning ?husband?. Legends abound about the origins of the site. Early Tamil literature called Sangam mentions Tirupati as Thiruvengadam and talks of the existence of a shrine there. The Puranas associate the site with Lord Varaha, the third incarnation of Vishnu. Even today, the Varaha shrine holds great importance in Tirupati and is said to be older than the main sanctum of Venkateshwara. For centuries Tirupati was richly endowed by the kings and emperors of various dynasties, adding to its current reputation as the richest and most opulent temple in the world.

How to Reach
Air
Tirupati town (Lower Tirupati as people here call it) is in the foothills, while the temple is up in the hills. The Tirupati airport, railway station and bus stand are all in Lower Tirupati. The Andhra state transport as well the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD, which manages the temple) run buses every few minutes from Lower Tirupati to the shrine.

Air
There are direct flights to Tirupati from Hyderabad and Chennai.

Rail
Tirupati has a railway station with daily trains to Chennai, Hyderabad, Renigunta and Gudur. However, some trains that travel via Renigunta or Gudur do not touch Tirupati. In such cases, Renigunta (10 km from Tirupati) or Gudur (100 km from Tirupati) are convenient points to alight and take a connecting train, or bus, or taxi.

Road
APSRTC buses run from all the important places in south India to Tirupati and Tirumala. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) also runs buses between Tirupati and Tirumala, free of cost. Most people however prefer to hire a cab or drive down. Tirupati is motorable from Chennai (152kms), Hyderabad (592kms) and Bangalore (247kms).

Religious Places
Venkateshwara Temple
Located on Venkatachala Hill this is the famous Almighty! The temple follows the Dravidian style of architecture with the gopuram being the main highlight. The cupola, named Ananda Nilayam, placed over the sanctum sanctorum, is 24-carat gold plated. The day here begins at 3 am with the Suprabhatam (awakening of the Lord). Ekanta Seva, or putting the Lord to sleep, at around 1 am in the night, marks the end of the day.

Daily or weekly prayers are offered here by devotees in the form of Sevas and Utsavams. You can pay homage to the Lord by having either of these two done in your name by paying the amount set for each at the TTD office. Given the crowd, you get barely 3 seconds to see the god before you are shooed away by the guards yelling ?jaragandi jaragandi (move on)?. So focus and walk slowly.

Padmavati Temple
Some 5 km downhill from Tirupati in the town of Tiruchanur is a large temple dedicated to Goddess Padmavati, the consort of Lord Venkateswara (Balaji). If you want to earn the brownie points of visiting Tirupati, then make sure you mark attendance with Padamavati Devi, or your trip remains incomplete.

Govindaraja Swami Temple
Consecrated by the Vishnava saint Ramanujacharya in 1130 AD, the temple was built by the Nayaka kings. The outer gopuram of the temple is breathtakingly beautiful, amongst the best in South India. Lord Krishna and Vishnu are the main presiding deities here. The temple is in the heart of Tirupati.

Kodandaramaswami Temple
This Chola temple dates back to the 10th century AD and is dedicated to Sita, Rama and Lakshmana. Across Kodandaramaswami is the temple of Anjaneyaswami (Hanuman). It is a sub-shrine of the main temple.

Sri Kapileswaraswami Temple
About 3 km to the north of Tirupati, this is the only shrine in this area dedicated to Lord Shiva. A sacred waterfall, called Kapila Teertham (or Alwar Teertham) is hidden somewhere here.

Sri Kalyana Venkateswaraswami Temple
located in Srinivasa Mangapuram is this sacred spot where Lord Venkateswara is said to have rested with his wife after their marriage, before proceeding to Tirumala.

Kanipakam
This Ganesha temple was constructed in the 11th century by King Kullottunga Chola and later expanded by the Vijayanagara kings. Strangely enough, the idol here keeps growing in size. Proof of this is the fact that the silver kawacham that was made 50 years ago no longer fits the God.