You are visiting Tirupati to have a darshan of Lord Balaji. The temple is at Tirumala on the hill-top. It is 23 km from Tirupati town. The Tirumala Hill is 3200 ft (1000 metres) above mean sea level, and is about 10 square miles in area. It comprises seven peaks, representing the seven hoods of Adisesha, the snake, thus earning the name, Seshachalam. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrishabhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. The ancient and sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara is located on the seventh peak, Venkatachala (Venkata Hill) of the sacred Seshachalam ranges and lies on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini. You can reach/travel this by either bus or taxi in less than one hour. The Ghat road is safe and one way i.e the return route is different. The road is closed from midnight till 0300 hrs.
And we suggest the following:
• Try to avoid plans to have a darshan on Sunday. It would normally be crowded.
• For commuting from Tirupati to Tirumala and for your temple/other visits, we advise you to plan in advance. You can pre-book your taxi with us at the best price (for our guests only).
• Please plan to have a spare day at your disposal to meet contingencies. In case, your arrival and darshan happens to be on time, you can always utilize the available time to see other interesting places of pilgrimage like Srikalahasti or Kanipakam etc.
• While normally it is advisable to avoid festival season, on some occasions it would not be crowded. So, please find out from TTD or from us regarding this.
• Please do not expect us to arrange for your darshan of Lord Balaji. We can furnish information on darshan timings, give necessary advice. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams have their online booking facility for darshan and they also have counters at Tirupati/Tirumala and at many other towns & cities for booking in advance. The following web sites would be helpful.
www.tirumala.org/Advancebooking.aspx
www.ttdsevaonline.com
So, please book for your darshan in advance as far as possible.
• The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams or the TTD has arranged for a special darshan option for physically challenged devotees as well as for senior citizens who want to pay obeisance. This facility offers entry into the temple from a separate gate from Dakshina Mada Gate. There are two time slots for special darshan; 10 AM and 3 PM. Devotees who wish to avail of this option must carry the required paperwork - relevant medical certificates or age proof - and report at the entrance 2 hours before the given time slot. Wheelchairs are not allowed but the TTD has arranged for battery operated cars to ferry devotees free of cost.
• Tirupati is a town for devout pilgrims and it is best for all to be dressed in Indian traditional dresses.
• Consumtion of alcohol ,non-vegetarian food and smoking is not permitted in Tirumala.
• Carrying phones/cameras/video cameras inside the temple is forbidden. Leave them in the taxi or with us before going for darshan.
For any clarifications and enquiries, please call us. We shall be happy to share information.
