In the last part, I briefed on what I saw and experienced outside the sanctum sanctorum of the Tirupati Temple. Actually, visit to Tirupati is an indescribable experience. At my allotted time, my ticket and ID card were verified, and I was allowed in. No electronic equipment is allowed inside. The queue moved through different corridors passing various security systems. There were many lines of people waiting for their turn, like the special queue which takes 1 to 2 hours to complete the visit inside the temple, and the free queue which can take up to 5 to 6 hours. On the way, there are large halls with seating arrangements and fans. The queue moved on for a long time and at last reached an open space in front of the sanctum sanctorum.
As the queue reached there, the praise sounds, “Govinda,” became louder. As I went inside past a huge door, my view fell on the image of god on the mirror kept on one side. From there, when we turn left, we can see the beautiful idol of Venkatachalapathy inside the sanctum sanctorum. The devotees are singing “Govinda…Govinda” at the top of their voices. The stone deity is 8 feet tall and is elaborately adorned with ornaments. Balaji is seen wearing a rare and famous crown which has 28,000 diamonds and an emerald in the middle. We were moved away from in front of the sanctum sanctorum in a minute due to the heavy rush. I found an area which was not much crowded and from there, had a good view of the temple. There are 6 rituals done in honor of Tirupati Venkateswara – Pratyusha pooja at 2.30 am, Usha pooja after sunrise, Madhyahna pooja, Aparahna pooja at sunset, Sandhyakaala pooja at dusk, and Athazha pooja.
The inside of the sanctum sanctorum is all golden with golden walls, golden pillars, golden sculptures, golden flagstaff, etc. In the aureate light of the lamps, the place looked like the abode of gods. The temple opens at 2.30 am and closes at 1.30 am. That is, it remains closed only for 1 hour. The rest of the 23 hours, there is continuous flow of devotees on a daily basis. It is a surprising fact that even if the rush is heavy, the huge number of believers never faces any kind of difficulty here. Wherever you look, there are volunteers ready to help the visitors. Another astonishing thing is that there is no rubbish seen anywhere in Tirumala. The place is kept clean and tidy. The lamps in front of the deity have been remaining lighted since thousands of years, but no one knows who lighted them and when. The deity is dressed in new dhoti and sari everyday, which are given daily by newly wedded couples who come here to perform the rituals. I came out of the sanctum sanctorum and went to the area where ladoo is given as Prasad (blessed food).
The ladoo of this temple is well known. Daily, 1.5 lakhs ladoo are made here. I got the ladoo and walked towards my car. Tirumala is actually a township with good road systems, restaurants, offices, lodging facilities, etc. Tirupati is an educational as well as a pilgrimage center. There are engineering colleges, pharmacy colleges, polytechnics, agricultural and veterinary colleges in Tirupati. The reputed S.V. University and Sri Padmavati Mahila University are situated in Tirupati. All of these are under the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). The social life in Tirupati is connected to devotion in every way. Without Balaji, there is nothing here. Sri Venkateswara Bala Mandir takes the responsibility of care and education of orphans until they get employed. There is no doubt that TTD is doing a great job not just for a particular caste, but for people of all religions. I left the abode of the god realizing that I am a nobody in this world.
