Tirumala - Tirupati

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This article is about the town of Tirumala-Tirupati in Andrapradesh, India. For the article about the famous Hindu temple in it, see Tirupathi Venkateshwara Temple. For the butterflies named Tirumala, see Tirumala (genus).


Coordinates: 13.39° N 79.25° E

Tirupathi

Tirupathi
State
 - District(s)		 Andhra Pradesh
 - Chittoor
Coordinates 13.39° N 79.25° E
Area
 - Elevation		 476.66 km²
 - 920 m
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Population (2006)
 - Density		 4,08,677 (11th)
 - 22,719/km²
MLA Venkata Ramana
Codes
 - Postal
 - Telephone
 - Vehicle		  
 - 517501
 - +0877
 - AP-03

Tirupati (Telugu: తిరుపతి) pronunciation (help·info) is a temple town in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located in the foot hills of Tirumala. The temple of Lord Venkateshwara is the 2nd richest Hindu temple and is probably one of the richest and most visited religious centers in the world, following Vatican and Mecca. It is the abode of Lord Venkateshwara, (one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu), located atop seshachala hills.

The town of Tirupati is one of the most ancient and spectacular places of pilgrimage in India. It is situated in the Chittoor district in southern Andhra Pradesh. The town owes its existence to the sacred temple of Lord Sri Venkateswara situated on the Tirumala Hill adjoining it. With a history that dates back to over twelve centuries, the temple is the jewel in the crown of ancient places of worship in southern India.

The Tirumala Hill is 3200 ft above sea level, and is about 10.33 sq miles in area. It comprises seven peaks, representing the seven hoods of Adisesha, thus earning the name, Seshachalam. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrishabhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri.

The sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara is located on the seventh peak, Venkatadri (Venkata Hill), and lies on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini. There are several legends associated with the manifestation of the Lord in Tirumala.

The name Tirupati, meaning the ‘the Lord of Lakshmi’ should have been appropriately applied to the village on the Venkata Hill, the abode of the Lord. However, it has been popularly assigned to the Municipal town at the foot of the Hill, while the village around the Hill near His temple is called Tirumala (the Sacred Hill).

Contents

[edit] Transport

Tirupathi is well connected with Hyderabad (740 km), Chennai (140 km) and Bangalore (280 km) via road, rail and air.

[edit] Air

There is an airport in the town of Renigunta below the hill, and is connected to major airports of south India. From the airport, bus and taxi services are availble to the temple.

[edit] Rail

There is a railway station at the foothills of Tirumala ( Tirupati ), and it is well connected to all the major cities in India like Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Vijayawada, varanasi, Shiridi, Kanyakumari, Vellore and Hyderabad, and lot more. Renigunta is situated in the Chennai-Mumbai railway is reachable by most places in India. Express trains like Venkatadri, Narayanadri, Seshadri, Garudasri etc. are also avaliable. There is no train facility to reach Tirumala.

[edit] Bus

Frequent bus services can be found to Tirupati from most major towns in South India. From the foothills, the Pilgrims are provided shuttle buses throughout the day by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (T.T.D) and [Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Service (A.P.S.R.T.C).] [1]. Every 15 minutes buses go from Thirupathi to Tirumala. The distance between Tirupati and Tirumala is 22 kms. and the shuttle buses would cover it in approximately 45 minutes. It is a very common practice among the devotees to walk from Tirupati to Tirumala. This would take around four hours on a well-laid out seperate track.

[edit] Education

Tirupati is not only a piligrimage center but an educational hub. It is home to Several universities, including Sri Venkateswara University and Padmavathi Mahila University ( one among two women universities in India), Sanskrit Vidhyapeet etc . Apart from universities it has state government sponsored medical, veterinary and agricultural colleges and also one engineering college. Around tirupati 5 Engineering Colleges exist.We have nearly 50 degree & PG (MBA, MCA) colleges.


[edit] Hospitals

SVRR governement general hospital(known as Ruia hospital) with attached SV medical college is one of the known hospitals besides SVIMS,a center with modern facilities run by TTD,BIRRDS an orthipedic center catering for physically handicapped.Numerous small- to mid-sized hospitals exist in private sector.SVRR governemnt hospital has minimal infrastructure and lacks an institution policy.One should expect substandard medical treatment here.SVIMS often cares to TTD employees rather than the poor,for which it was originally meant for.Over-aged director still rules the roost.

[edit] Climate

In summer temperatures may go up to 42 to 45 degrees Celsius,and in winter the minimum temperatures will be between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius. Usually summer lasts from March to June. With the advent of monsoons rainy season may start in late July or September. Check Thirupathi climate now

[edit] Economy

Tirumala temple lit in the night
Enlarge
Tirumala temple lit in the night

The town mainly relies on the income generated by the temple. Every year millions of people visit the temple, and thus there are hundreds of restaurants, hotels, travel operators have been established in the region. The temple "devasthanam" (the caretakers of the temple) also spend millions every year, in various developmental activities in the region.

[edit] Festivals

The town celebrates most Vaishnava festivals including Vaikunta Ekadasi, Rama Navami and janmashtami with great splendor, while the Brahmotsavam celebrated every year during September is the most important festivals in Tirumala, when it receives millions of devotees over a short span of a week. Rathasapthami (Magha Shuddha Saptami) is another festival, celebrated during February, when Lord Venkateswara idol will be taken procession around the temple chariots[1].

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Rathasapthami photos.

[edit] External links

Hindu Holy Cities in India
Allahabad • Ayodhya • Badrinath • Dharmasthala • Dwarka • Gaya • Guruvayur • Haridwar • Hrishikesh • Kalahasti • Kanchipuram • Kedarnath • Kollur • Mathura • Mayapur • Nashik • Nathdwara • Puri • Rameswaram • Sabarimala • Somnath • Sringeri • Srirangam • Tirumala - Tirupati • Ujjain • Varanasi • Vrindavan
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