Tirupati Balaji Temple is one of the richest temples in the world and more than 50000 devotees visit it every day. It is among the most revered temples in India and the most crowded as well. Another name for Tirupati Balaji is Lord Venkata, which means destroyer of sins. Venkata comprises of two words, ‘Ven’ means ‘sin’ and ‘Kata’ means ‘destroyer’, hence it is believed that darshan of Lord Venkata absolve devotees off their sins.
This article will serve as a travel guide to Tirupati Balaji and contains information regarding how to reach Tirupati Balaji, booking, where to stay in Tirupati Balaji, Tirupati Balaji darshan and other important information that will help you make informed decisions on your trip to Tirupati Balaji.
Tirupati Balaji Temple, also known as Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is situated in the Tirupati hills in Chitoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The temple is positioned on the seventh hill called the Venkata hill and therefore the deity here is also referred as Lord of the Venkata Hill. The best time to visit Tirupati is between the months of November and March when the weather is pleasant and cool. Summers are hot and humid and temperatures reach as high as 45 degree Celsius.
Tirupati has an airport and railway station, called Renigunta airport and Renigunta railway station respectively. Tirupati Railway Station is well connected to all major cities of the country. Seshadri Express from Bangalore, Sapthagiri Express from Chennai, Kerala Express from Delhi, Narayanadri Express from Hydeabad and Kanyakumari Express from Mumbai are the most prominent trains. Many devotees regularly visit from Bangalore and traveling via taxi is the best option. Tirupati is at 250 km from Bangalore and it takes around 5 hours to reach. The roads are in good condition and the first 120 Kms is double track toll road. Bangalore to Tirupati taxi service can be easily booked online in advance.
Accommodation for Tirupati Bala Ji temple can be found in both Tirupati and Tirumala. Tirumala, where Tiruapti Balaji temple is located is at 22 km from Tirupati.Devasthanams is the administration committee at Tirupati Balaji Temple, popularly known as TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devsthanams). It makes all the arrangements for the convenience and comfort of devotees, so that they can have a smooth darshan of Lord Venkateswara.
Tirumala doesn’t have any private hotel and accommodation is provided by the TTD and other religious associations. The stay options are economical and include dormitory, guest houses and dharamshalas. You will also get the locker facility. Accommodation in Tirumala can be easily booked one month in advance through the website of TTD. You may also book a room on your arrival but the process can take up to 3 hours. You can also choose to stay in a hotel in Tirupati, which has lot of staying options for devotees.
Shared jeeps from Tirupati to Tirumala are available from the railway station and buses run at regular intervals from the Tirupati central bus stand.
TTD offers various types of darshan facility to devotees. You can opt for Dharma Darshanm, Seeghra Darshanm, Sarva Darsanam or Divya Darshanm. These darshan options basically vary in the time taken for darshan queue at the queue complex to reach the sanctum sanctorum. You can book the ticket in advance from the TTD website and have a hassle-free experience. The darshan tickets are also available at various TTD counters across India. The darshan takes between 3 to 10 hrs depending on the number of devotees present at the temple complex.
The darshan process could be tiring and if you are coming from Bangalore it is recommended that you take one of the cabs from Bangalore to Tiruapti for a relaxed travel. Savaari.com provides good options for affordable cabs in Bangalore.