Tirupati and Kalahasti are places that I have always wanted to visit. I booked a ticket for Tirupati. I decided to go to Kalahasti first and stay there and to travel to Tirupati the next day. I reached Kalahasti. A description about my journey to Kalahasti is included in the article “In the Kailash of the South.” I woke up early in the morning, and after completing my daily routines, I visited the temple. The temple had a peaceful atmosphere without any rush, maybe because it is too early. After praying, I walked back through the way that I took the previous day and reached my room. I made ready the clothe bundle to carry traditional offerings and set out for Tirupati. As per my ticket, the time allotted to me is 10.00 a.m. My vehicle reached Tirupati. There is a check post behind the immense statue of Garuda on the way to Tirumala where the Tirupati Temple is situated. This place is called Alipiri. The vehicles are checked here and then only allowed to go up. This same place is the point from where the footpaths for the devotees start.
A number of vehicles were there in the queue. I stopped my car behind them.Tirupati, located in the valley of Swarnamukhi River originating from the beautiful Chandragiri Hills, is a city of temples and pilgrimage centers. Venkatachalapathy is the lord of 7 hills, namely, Seshachalam, Garudachalam, Narayanachalam, Vrishabhachalam, Vrishachalam, Anjaneyachalam, and Venkatachalam. One can reach Venkatachalapathy only by passing through all these hills. It is on top of the Venkatadri Hill that the Venkateswara Temple is situated. There is a temple at the starting point of the hill, which is also dedicated to Venkateswara Swami and is known as Padala Mandapam. It is believed that every night, Venkateswara Swami descends the hill and goes to meet Padmavathi Devi at Tiruchanoor. Padala Mandapam is considered as the place where the god takes rest on the way. Walking up Tirumala, the total distance is 9 km (3500 steps). On the way, there are provisions for drinking water and food.
Toilet facilities are also there. Checking of my vehicle is now complete. I started my vehicle and went ahead towards Tirumala. It is 21 km by road to Tirumala. The road is excellent and passes through the Sri Venkateswara National Park. There are small temples and beautiful sceneries on the way. Spectacular waterfalls and small streams are really attractive. At the top of the hill, I was caught for overspeeding. The road was so smooth and clear that I didn’t realize that I was driving at high speed. A receipt was given to me. I need to pay the cash at Vijaya Bank and show the receipt from the bank to the officers at the check post. I did the same and then parked my vehicle. On the online ticket, the space where the vehicle is to be parked is specifically given. People are allowed in as per the timings given in the tickets. The government has arranged buses from and to Tirumala for the visitors to Balaji Temple. Every 2 minutes, there is a bus.
This temple is believed to have been built over a period of time starting from 300 AD. It is constructed in the Dravidian architectural style. Tirupati is the most visited pilgrimage center as well as the wealthiest temple in the world. The kings who belonged to the Pallava, Chola, Pandya, Vijayanagar dynasties; the rulers of Mysore; kings of other empires; all of them used to give tremendous amounts of money and ornaments as offerings to the temple. During the middle of the 18th century, the Maratha General Raghoji Bhonsle set up a permanent administration for the conduct of worship in the temple. In the year 1932, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams and all their operations came under TTD as a result of the TTD Act. There are thousands of cottages made available to the devotees, ranging from Rs. 50 to Rs. 1000. Apart from that, there are free lodging facilities too. Wherever you look, you can see clean-shaved heads. Tonsuring (shaving the head) is the main offering in this temple. It is intended to kill self-pride. This offering is being done by thousands of people daily. It is time for me to enter the temple, will continue the rest of the journey in the next part.
