Tirupati is famous as a great tourist spot not in India only, but throughout the world. The Shri Venkatesh temple locates at the top of the Tirumala hills in the Chitla district of Andhra Pradesh. Mention of this temple is found in the Skanda Purana. According to the Puranas, Lord Shri Vishnu dwelt in the hills. The work of the temple committee spreads throughout the nook and corners of the hills. From Tirupati private buses are available to visit the shrines. Tourists visit this shrine round the year.
How to get there?
Tirupati is one place that connects all the cities and towns of Andhra Pradesh like Srisailam with buses. Learn more about Srisailam and its travel and tourism spots from this website. The rail route connects the place with all the other states of India. From Hyderabad the bus route distance is 540 Kilometers. The fare of the Volvo AC bus is RS 700 to RS 800. From Hyderabad, the Rayalaseema express and from Secunderabad, Narayana express is available for Tirupati. Both the trains depart in the evenings and reach the place in the next morning. The fare for the sleeper class is RS 500. The railway station and the bus stand is close-by. Since, from Tirupati the free bus service gets crowded it would be advisable to opt for the regular roadway buses. The distance is 27 Kilometers and the fare is RS 80.
Lodging
Several hotels are available from the Tirupati station to the bus stand. The rent ranges from RS 600 to RS 3000. Some of the hotels that are available in the price range of RS 600 to RS 1100 are hotel Durga Residency, hotel Apsara, Charminar guest house, hotel Woodside, hotel Vikram, etc. Other hotels that are available within the price range of RS 1000 to RS 2800 are the hotel Annapurna, Bhimas Deluxe hotel, hotel Srinivasan, etc. Moreover, Tirupati-Tirumala guest houses are also available for the tourists. Booking goes on from the Srinivasan building at the opposite of the bus stand. For more information log in to the official website at www.tirumala.org. The rent is RS 600 to RS 1000. The check out time is 12 am.
Tourist attractions
The Shri Venkatesh temple is one chief attraction of Tirupati. The place of worship is at the top of the Tirumala hill and devoted to Lord Vishnu. It is well-known by the name of Balaji among the locals. Tickets are available in the different price ranges to view the Lord in the golden moulded place of worship. A high-priced ticket eases hassle free viewing of the idol since a low-priced ticket costs much time and patients of the visitors. The visitors not allowed to take anything inside the place of worship except the things required for worship. Beside the place of worship is the Venkateswaran Kundu. Here, visitors shave their head and take a bath before going to worship. Moreover, other Tirupati temples of note are the Kapileshwar temple, Sri Bodh Siddhi temple, Kalyana Venkateswara temple, Padmavati temple, Sri Kaleshwar temple, etc.
12 Kilometers away from the Tirupati city is the Chandra Giri Durg. The Vijayanagar kings built this place in the historic past. It locates at the bank of Swarnamukhi river. Every evening two lighting shows displayed for the general interest of the people. The first display show is in Telugu and the second show in English. The ticket for the same is Rs 80 per head.