The town of Tirupati-Balaji is one of the most ancient and sacred pilgrimage spots in India.
The name Tirupati-Balaji means the 'Lord of Lakshmi', and should have been applied to the village on the Venkat hill, the dwelling of Lord Venkateswara.
However, Tirupati-Balaji is the town and transport hub at the bottom of the hill.The hill near the temple is called Tirumala or the 'sacred hill'. The temple here is said to be the busiest in the world, eclipsing even Rome, Jerusalem, and Mecca in the number of pilgrims visiting it.
One of the major attractions in Tirupati-Balaji is the world famous Sri Venkateswara Temple. As a large number of devotees visit this temple everyday, be prepared to wait for almost twenty hours before you can get the darshan of the deity. The other shrines that you can visit while on a trip to Tirupati-Balaji are the Sri Govindrajaswamy Temple consecrated by Saint Ramanujacharya in AD 1130; Sri Kapileswaraswami Temple, the only temple dedicated to Lord Siva; Sri Kodandaramaswami Temple, which has Rama, Sita and Lakshmana as the presiding deities; and the legendary Sri Kalyana Venkateswaraswami Temple. You can also visit Tiruchanur, where the temple of Sri Padmavathi Devi is situated.
Besides continuing the religious trail, excursions around Tirupati-Balaji take you to some beautiful picnic spots. You can take a trip to Chandragiri to see the famous Chandragiri Fort. Sri Kalahasthi, located between two steep hills on the banks of the river Swarnamukhi, houses a temple dedicated to Vayu, the God of wind. The Agastyaswamy Temple (12 km) has three beautifully sculptured entrances.
Kalyani Dam (18 km) is situated in the Rangampet forest on the Tirupati-Balaji-Madanapallee Road. Horsley Hills is a charming little hill station on the southwest border of Andhra Pradesh. Nagalapuram (65 km) is a small town that houses the Sri Vedanarayana Swamy Temple. The Kailasakona Waterfalls is a beautiful waterfall whose water is said to possess curative powers. Narayanavanam (22 km) has a shrine dedicated to Kalyana Venkateswara.
The Brahmotsavam is the most important temple festival celebrated at Tirupati-Balaji. Celebrated annually in September, the festival is especially grand every third year when it is called Navratri Brahmotsavam. On the third day of the Brahmotsavam, the temple car festival called Rathotsavam is held. Both the temple chariot and the Lord are gaily decorated and taken around the streets of Tirumala.
The south Indian town of Tirupati-Balaji is easily accessible through air, road and rail from the other major Indian cities and states. 123indiatravel can arrange for you all types of transport for your comfortable journey to and in Tirupati-Balaji and throughout the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
In order to make the travel tour to Tirupati-Balaji even more joyful you need to choose just the right kind of accommodation for you and your family or friends in and around Tirupati-Balaji. The various hotels packages in and around Tirupati-Balaji offer the best of facilities. You may take your pick from a range of luxury and budget hotels in and around Tirupati-Balaji besides the star categorized accommodation hotels around the landmarks of Tirupati-Balaji. Most of the places to stay in and around Tirupati-Balaji are strategically located in the pilgrim centers or near the railway station.
