Tirupati
Home | Tirupati
Tirupati is the richest pilgrimage city (of any religious faith) in the world, located in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India
Overview
Tirupati is located at the foothills of Tirumala. The city owes its existence to the sacred temple situated on the Tirumala Hills. Tirumala is the abode of Lord Venkateshwara, one of the Avatars of Lord Vishnu, located atop Seshachala hills often called as "Yaedu Kondalu" (seven hills). The temple of Lord Venkateshwara was build by the Tamil king Thondaimaan, and reform periodically by Cholas and later Telugu Kings. It is the richest and most visited temple (of any faith) in the world.
Front View of Tirumala Temple
The site was an established center by the 5th century A.D, and the Alvars (Vaishnava saints) belonging to the Bhakti movement in Dravidian land sung in praise of Venketeswara. Its significance in Southern Vaishnava tradition was at the time next only to Srirangam. The temple was richly endowed by the kings of various dynasties thus adding to its current reputation as the richest and most opulent pilgrimage centre in the world. It was supported by Cholas, later by Hoysalas, the Vijayanagaras. Krishna Deva Raya of Vijayanagara led the temple to great popularity by donating gold and other ornaments for the temple and constructing extended shrines. The place of Chandragiri, presently a village near Tirupati, was used as the secondary capital of Vijayanagara kings.
Tirupati survived the Muslim invasions of South India, unlike other temples such as the Meenakshi temple in Madurai and Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam. It is believed that during the invasions the deity of Sriranganatha from Srirangam was brought to Tirupati for safekeeping. To commemorate this event, a hall in Tirupati is still known as the Ranganatha mandapa.
In 1843, with the coming of the East India Company, the administration of the Sri Venkateshwara temple and a number of shrines was entrusted to Seva Dossji of the Hathiramji Mutt at Tirumala as Vicaranakarta for nearly a century until 1933, when the temple was under the administrative charge of the mahants. The Madras legislature passed a special act in 1933 whereby the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) committee was invested with powers of administration and control through a commissioner appointed by the Government of Madras. A Ryot Advisory Council was formed for the management of the estates of the TTD, and was assisted by a Religious Advisory Council with regard to religious matters.
Tirumala
The Tirumala hill is 3200 ft above sea level, and is about 10.33 sq miles in area. It comprises seven peaks, representing the seven hoods of Adisesha, thus earning the name, Seshachalam. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrishabhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri.
Climate
Rainy Season remains pleasant.
SV Zoological Park and Science Center
Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park is the second of its kind in the Andhra Pradesh. It has many species of animals and plants which are being conserved. Regional Science Center, must visit for children, is also present nearby which is very famous in Andhra Pradesh. It also has a planitorium which grabs huge amounts of crowd. It takes minimum of a day to see it. Nearly 10 to 15 tigers are present in this zoo. There is a proposed pharma university and medical at renigunta in an area of 165 acres. An IT SEZ is also coming up in Renigunta in 147 acres. Surappakasam township is also coming which is in between Tiruchanoor and Renigunta.
Transportation
Road
Tirupati has the third largest bus station in Andhra Pradesh. It has nearly 50 platforms. Tirupati has another bus station near Alipiri. For every 2 minutes, there is a bus facility from Tirupati to Tirumala. Tirupati has bus facilities connecting almost each and every important city and town. Tirupati has good infrastructure. The by-pass laid by NTR is a six lane road covering most of the parts in the city. Tirupati is criss-crossed by National Highways. For every 3-4 km, traffic signals are present to control the traffic. Many non air-conditioned and air-conditioned buses are operated by the government-run APSRTC and other private operators connecting Tirupati to other major cities and towns directly.
Rail
Tirupati East railway station has 10 platforms. The station is currently undergoing moderanisation with the construction of 3 escalators. There is another major junction in Tirupati (Renigunta).Tirupati West railway station and Chandragiri stations are also present which have to be developed. There are many trains travelling across the country with Tirupati as the starting point. Tirupati is connected to all the cities in the country with railways. Tirupati railway station is the fourth in India to be recognised as a "World class" with Mumbai, Delhi, Secunderabad in the first three places.
Air
Tirupati Airport is the third airport established in the state. It operates national airlines between Tirupati and Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi and Visakhapatnam. Air India operates flights from Hyderabad and Delhi, while Deccan operates flights from Vishakapatnam(Vizag), Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The airport is located 15 km from the city center. Paramount Airways is planning to launch its service soon. Other services are roping up to join the big league too. The airport is huge and to international standards. The runway is being extended by 1 km and the night landing facility has been installed recently.
Culture
Tirupati is a landmark in the culture and traditions for Hindus. The residents and visitors can be seen in both traditional attire like pancha, lungi and chira and modern attire. Practices of tonsure and using tilaka are commonly seen. Songs and prayers of Lord Venkateswara like Annamacharya kirtanas can be heard all over the city. Every year, "Telugu Bhasha Bramhostavams" are conducted here to delevop the usage of Telugu language.
Festivals
Elephants Welcoming Lord Srinivasa
The town celebrates most Vaishnava festivals including Vaikunta Ekadasi, Rama Navami and Janmashtami with great splendor, while the Brahmotsavam celebrated every year during September is the most important festival in Tirumala when it receives millions of devotees over a short span of a week. Rathasapthami (Magha Shuddha Saptami) is another festival, celebrated during February, when Lord Venkateswara's idol is taken in a procession around the temple chariots.
Another local festival Gangamma Jathra is also celebrated as a major festival. The Goddess Gangamma is offered animal sacrifices and also pongal and other offerings by the devotees. She is considered as the sister of The Lord Almighty, Govinda.
Religious Attractions
KodhandaRamaSwamy Temple at Tirupathi
There are many temples in Tirupati and Tirumala. Some of them are:
* Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu as 'Venkateswara' (or Srinivasa) and attracts followers from a wide range of Hindu traditions.
* Alamelu Mangamma Shrine in Alamelumangapuram also called Thiruchanoor
* Padmavati Temple
* Govindaraja Swamy Temple
* Kodanda Rama Swamy Temple: The temple is so beautiful in architecture. Lord Rama, Seetha and Lakshmana are present in a beautiful form in the temple. Lord Anjaneya Swamy is seen near the foot of Lord Rama. The temple is in the heart of the city. There is also another temple dedicated to Lord Anjaneya Swamy opposite to Kodhanda Rama Swamy Temple. Prasadams are offered daily to pilgrims.
