Tirumala is a spiritual town in

Tirupati district Tirupati district () is one of the twenty-six districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Andhra Pradesh state. The district headquarters is located at Tirupati city. Tirupat ...

of the Indian state of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

. It is one of the suburbs of the Tirupati urban agglomeration. The town is a part of

Tirupati Urban Development Authority The Tirupati Urban Development Authority, also known as TUDA is a government agency and the principal planning authority for Tirupati and its neighbourhood areas in Tirupati District of the Indian state of Andhra pradesh. It was notified on 6 N ...

and located in

Tirupati (rural) mandal Tirupati (rural) mandal is one of the 34 mandals in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh in India. It is under the administration of Tirupati revenue division and the headquarters are located at Tiruchanur. History The mandal was a part of Ch ...

Tirupati revenue division Tirupati revenue division is an administrative division in the Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the 3 revenue divisions in the district with 9 mandals under its administration. Tirupati serves as the headqua ...

. It is a hill town where

Tirumala Venkateswara Temple Sri Venkateswara Swami Vaari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared ...

is located, which is the abode of Vishnu. The town is strictly

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...

Geography

Tirumala is located above sea level and covers an area of approximately . Surrounding the hills are seven peaks of

Seshachalam Seshachalam Hills are hilly ranges part of the Eastern Ghats in southern Andhra Pradesh state, in southeastern India. The Seshachalam hill ranges are predominantly present in Tirupati district of the Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh, India. ...

range,

Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats pass through Odisha, Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka as well as Telangana. They are eroded and cut ...

namely Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. The temple of Sri

Venkateswara Venkateswara, also known by various other names, is a form of the Hinduism, Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara is the presiding deity of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, located in Tirupati, Sri Balaji District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Etymology ...

is on the seventh peak (

Venkatadri The Venkata hill (853 m) is part of the Seshachalam Hills, located in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Also known as Venkatadri or Venkatachalam, it is one of the seven peaks of the Tirumala Hill located in the temple town of Tirum ...

). At the point on the Tirupati – Tirumala Ghat road, there is a major discontinuity of

stratigraphic Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithostrati ...

significance that represents a period of remarkable serenity in the geological history of the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

. This is referred to as the

Eparchaean Unconformity Tirupati Eparchaean Unconformity, a notified National Geo-heritage Monument unconformity An unconformity is a buried erosional or non-depositional surface separating two rock masses or strata of different ages, indicating that sediment deposition was not continuous. In general, the older layer was exposed to erosion for an interval o ...

separates the Nagari

Quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tect ...

of the

Proterozoic The Proterozoic () is a geological eon spanning the time interval from 2500 to 538.8million years ago. It is the most recent part of the Precambrian "supereon". It is also the longest eon of the Earth's geologic time scale, and it is subdivided ...

from the

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

of the

Archean The Archean Eon ( , also spelled Archaean or Archæan) is the second of four geologic eons of Earth's history, representing the time from . The Archean was preceded by the Hadean Eon and followed by the Proterozoic. The Earth Earth ...

, representing a time gap of 800

Mya Mya may refer to: Brands and product names * Mya (program), an intelligent personal assistant created by Motorola * Mya (TV channel), an Italian Television channel * Midwest Young Artists, a comprehensive youth music program Codes * Burmese ...

. In 2001, the

Geological Survey of India The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is a scientific agency of India. It was founded in 1851, as a Government of India organization under the Ministry of Mines, one of the oldest of such organisations in the world and the second oldest survey ...

(GSI) declared the Eparchaean Unconformity to be one of the 26 "Geological Monuments of India". Natural stone arch in tirumala

Silathoranam, a

natural arch A natural arch, natural bridge, or (less commonly) rock arch is a natural landform where an arch has formed with an opening underneath. Natural arches commonly form where inland cliffs, coastal cliffs, fins or stacks are subject to erosion f ...

and a distinctive geological wonder is located in Tirumala Hills at a distance of from

. The arch measures in width and metres in height and is eroded out of quartizite of Cuddapah Supergroup of Middle to Upper

(1600 to 570

) by weathering agents such as water and wind.

Climate

Tirumala has a tropical wet and dry climate designated Aw under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

. As the hill shrine is situated amidst the hills, the temperature will go below 10 degrees in winter. Summers are not as hot here, especially compared to Tirupati. The southwest monsoon season starts from June, but rains are not heavy. Occasionally, thunderstorms form and downpours may persist for hours. Pertaining to orographic relief, the northeast monsoon remains active over the region for 2 months. It causes flooding. The highest 24-hour rainfall on record was on 23 November 2005, followed by on 9 November 2015.

Legend

In ancient literature,

Tirupati Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is refe ...

is mentioned as Aadhi Varaha Kshetra. The

Puranas Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

associate the site with Lord Varaha, one of the

Dashavatara The Dashavatara ( sa, दशावतार, ) are the ten primary avatars of Vishnu, a principal Hindus, Hindu god. Vishnu is said to descend in the form of an avatar to restore cosmic order. The word ''Dashavatara'' derives from , meaning " ...

Lord Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

. In Varaha Purana, Venkatadri is believed to be a part of Mount Meru, which was brought on to the earth from Vishnu's abode Vaikuntam by his mount

Garuda Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda is a ...

. The seven peaks represent the seven heads of

Adisesha Shesha (Sanskrit: शेष; ) , also known as Sheshanaga (Sanskrit: शेषनाग; ) or Adishesha (), is a serpentine demigod (Naga) and Nagaraja (King of all serpents), as well as a primordial being of creation in Hinduism. In the Puran ...

Demographics

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

, Tirumala has a population of 7,741. Males constitute 52 percent of the population and females 48 percent. Tirumala has an average literacy rate of 72.8 percent, higher than the national average of 59.5 percent. The male literacy rate is 57.1 percent and the female rate is 42.9 percent. In Tirumala, 11 percent of the population is under six years of age.

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

is the major language.

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

is the only religion in Tirumala.

Culture

The town of Tirumala is strictly

. Consumption of non-vegetarian food,

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

, and

tobacco product Tobacco is the agricultural product of the leaves of plants in the genus ''Nicotiana'', commonly termed ''tobacco plants''. All species of ''Nicotiana'' contain the addictive drug nicotine—a psychostimulant alkaloid found in all parts of the ...

s is strictly prohibited in Tirumala, and smuggling any of these is considered a serious offence at Tirumala.

Dhoti The dhoti, also known as veshti, vetti, dhuti, mardani, chaadra, dhotar, jaiñboh, panchey, is a type of sarong, tied in a manner that outwardly resembles "loose trousers". It is a lower garment forming part of the ethnic costume for men in the I ...

s and

Saree A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various Languages of South Asia, regional languages include: * as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO * bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO * gu, સાડી ...

s are the traditional popular attire. The practices of tonsure and using tilaka are popular among devotees of Lord Venkateswara. Festivals Lord Venkateswara on Gaja Vahanam

Sri Venkateswara Brahmotsavams celebrated every year during September/October is the most important festival in Tirumala when it receives lakhs of devotees over a short span of a nine days. The city celebrates all major

Hindu festivals Across the globe, Hindus celebrate a diverse number of festivals and celebrations, typically marking events from ancient Indian, ancient India and often coinciding with seasonal changes. These celebrations take place either on a fixed annual dat ...

including

Sankranti Sankranti ( sa, संक्रान्ति ''saṁkrānti or saṅkramaṇa'') means transmigration of the Sun from one zodiac to another in Indian astronomy. Each Sankranti is marked as the beginning of a month in the sidereal solar calen ...

Ugadi Ugadi or Yugadi, also known as Samvatsarādi (), is New Year's Day according to the Hindu calendar and is celebrated in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka in India. It is festively observed in these regions on the first ...

etc.

Vaikunta Ekadasi Vaikuntha Ekadashi () is a Hindu occasion and festival. It is primarily observed by Vaishnavas, who regard it to be a special Ekādaśī. It coincides with '' Mokṣadā Ekādaśī'' or Putrada Ekādaśī. It is observed on the 11th lunar da ...

, the day on which it is believed that Vaikunta Dwarams will be opened, is celebrated in Tirumala. Rathasapthami is another festival, celebrated during February, when Lord Venkateswara processional deity, ( Malayappa) is taken in a procession around the temple on seven different

vahana ''Vahana'' ( sa, वाहन, or animal vehicle, literally "that which carries, that which pulls") denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical, a particular Hindus, Hindu God is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vahana ...

s from early morning to late night. Cuisine Tirupati is known for world-famous

Tirupati Laddu Tirupati Laddu or SriVari Laddu is the laddu sweet offered as Naivedhyam to Venkateswara at Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, Tirupati district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The laddu is given as prasadam to devotees after having the darshan i ...

. It is the

prasad 200px, Prasad thaal offered to Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad ">Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad">Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad Prasada (, Sanskrit: प्रसाद, ), Prasadam or Prasad is a religious offering in Hinduism. Most o ...

am at

Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Swami Vaari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared ...

. Tirupati Laddu had got

Geographical indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...

tag which entitles only

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is an independent trust which manages the temples including the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh. The trust oversees the operations and finances of the richest and the most visited religious cent ...

to make or sell it. Arts, crafts and architecture

established Sri Venkateswara Museum, one at Tirumala and the other at Tirupati. It has a wonderful collection of Tirupati temple architecture and historical artefacts, such as ancient weaponry, pooja items and idols. It has a comprehensive photo gallery that gives a unique insight into the Tirupati region's culture and traditions. It also boasts a meditation centre.

Landmarks

Venkateswara Temple is an abode of

Lord Venkateswara Venkateswara, also known by various other names, is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara is the presiding deity of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, located in Tirupati, Sri Balaji District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Etymology Venkatesw ...

situated in Tirumala. It is also known as Tirumala Temple.

Natural Arch A natural arch, natural bridge, or (less commonly) rock arch is a natural landform where an arch has formed with an opening underneath. Natural arches commonly form where inland cliffs, coastal cliffs, fins or stacks are subject to erosion f ...

is located north of the temple, which measures wide and high and was naturally formed from the quartz. ''Srivaari Paadamulu'' (the footprints of Lord) are believed to be the footprints of Lord Venkateswara formed when he first stood on Tirumala Hills. ''Papavinasanam'' is a waterfall flowing from a tributary of the Swarnamukhi River. It also has a temple where seven lion-headed channels open from a height for deities to bathe below them. A temple dedicated to goddess

Ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

is located near the enclosure. ''Akaasa Ganga'' is another natural waterfall in Tirumala.

Transport

Foot Steps There are two paths to travel on foot from Tirupati to Tirumala. These paths are called ''Sopanamargas''. The Devotees to fulfil their Vow to

will take this path to reach Tirumala on foot from Tirupati. Both the paths are completely roofed and passes through seven hills which are part of

Seshachalam Hills Seshachalam Hills are hilly ranges part of the Eastern Ghats in southern Andhra Pradesh state, in southeastern India. The Seshachalam hill ranges are predominantly present in Tirupati district of the Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh, India. ...

. * Alipiri Mettu – The first and Ancient path starts from

Alipiri Alipiri Padala Mandapam or Alipiri is the place at foot of seven hills in Tirupati, the pilgrim city of Sri Venkateswara Swami, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Alipiri is one of two ways to reach Tirumala on foot, and it was until rec ...

and consists of a total 3550 Steps which makes a distance of 11 km. At Alipiri there is a temple dedicated to Lord Venkateswara called Padalamandapam. There are Four Gopurams(Temple Towers) on the way. * Srivari Mettu – It originates at Srinivasa Mangapuram, about from Tirupati. It is long. This trail has 2388 steps and is shorter than Alipiri Metlu path. Road Tirumala can be accessed by road from Alipiri. The distance is . There are two roads from Alipiri to Tirumala, one each dedicated to up and down traffic. The

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

-owned

Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is the state-owned road transport corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Its headquarters is located at NTR Administrative Block of RTC House in Pandit Nehru bus station of ...

(APSRTC) operates frequent ''Saptagiri'' and ''Saptagiri Express'' buses from Tirupati and Alipiri and also from nearby places.

(TTD) runs free buses for transit within Tirumala. Rail The nearest railway station is at Tirupati, about from Tirumala.

Tirupati Main railway station Tirupati railway station (station code: TPTY) is a railway station located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It serves Tirupati and experiences a regular flow of tourists visiting the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in the Tirupati district. ...

is one of the major railway station in the

South Central Railway The South Central Railway (abbreviated SCR) is one of the 19 zones of Indian Railways. The jurisdiction of the zone is spread over the states of Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh. It has three divisions under its administrati ...

zone of the

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...

, providing rail connectivity to major parts of India. It is under the jurisdiction of

Guntakal railway division Guntakal Railway Division is one of the three divisions of South Coast Railway zone (SCoR) of the Indian Railways. The headquarters of the division is at Guntakal and its zonal headquarters is at Visakhapatnam. This division is second in terms ...

. is another important railway station which lies on the

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

–

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

rail corridor is away from Tirumala. Airport The nearest airport is

Tirupati Airport Tirupati Airport is a domestic airport serving Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. It is situated in Renigunta, a suburb of Tirupati. It is away from National Highway 71 (previously NH-205), from Tirupati and from Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala. His ...

, about from Tirumala. It is a domestic airport with direct flights to Hyderabad,

Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura (S20), INS ...

and

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

. The nearest major airport is the

Chennai International Airport Chennai International Airport is an international airport serving the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu and its metropolitan area. It is located in Tirusulam, southwest of the city centre. Chennai International Airport is the sixth busiest air ...

, located about from Tirumala.

References

External links

Most Visited Holy Place in the World – World RecordVasista ashramam, Srinivasa Mangapuram, Tirupati Website
{{Authority control Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2004 All articles containing potentially dated statements Tirupati Towns in Tirupati district Hindu holy cities Hills of Andhra Pradesh Tourist attractions in Andhra Pradesh Geography of Tirupati district Mountains of Andhra Pradesh Vegetarian towns in India