|
Tirupati
 Tirupati is a temple town in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh and is located in the hill town of Tirumala. Tirupati Venkateswara Temple is a famous Hindu temple of Lord Venkateswara. The temple is located on the Venkatachalam hill that forms part of the seven hills of Tirumala, and hence the temple is also known as the Temple of Seven Hills (Edukondalu in Telugu). The presiding deity of the temple, Lord Venkateswara, is also known by other names - Balaji or Srinivasa.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the temple has a self-manifested murti of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that the Lord resides here for the entire Kali Yuga. The temple is the most visited Hindu place of worship, and is the world's second richest in terms of the offerings made by pilgrims to the God and gifts given by visiting pilgrims.
Various shrines are scattered all over Tirupati including holy water falls, scared rivers and archaeological wonders. The temple is visited by about 60,000 pilgrims daily, while on special occasions and festivals the number of pilgrims shoots up to 200,000. It is regarded as one of the most ancient temples which were mentioned in Puranas and Sastras. Tirupati-Balaji is well-linked by air, rail and road. The nearest airport and railhead is Chennai and the town can be easily reached from Bangalore and Hyderabad by road.
|
