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 Venkateshwara Temple and other historic temples. It is located at a distance of 150 km from Chennai, 250 km from Bangalore, 406 km from Amaravati. It is one of the eight ''Svayam vyakta kshetras'' (''Self-Manifested Temples'') dedicated to Hindu deity Vishnu. Tirupati is a municipal corporation and the headquarters of

Tirupati (urban) mandal Tirupati (urban) mandal is one of the 34 mandals in Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It has its headquarters at Tirupati city&Tirupati district. The mandal is bounded by Chandragiri, Tirupati (rural) mandals. A part of i ...

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 ...

, and the Tirupati revenue division. It is the 7th most populous urban agglomeration in the state, with a population of in 2011. census, it had a population of 287,035 making it the 9th most populous city in Andhra Pradesh. It is the second biggest city in

Rayalaseema Rayalaseema () is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises eight south western districts of the State namely, Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai, YSR, Annamayya, Tirupati and Chittoor districts ...

after

Kurnool Kurnool is a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It formerly served as the capital of Andhra State (1953–1956). The city is often referred to as "The Gateway of Rayalaseema".Kurnool is also known as The City of Gem Stones. It also se ...

. For the year 2012–2013, India's

Ministry of Tourism The Minister of Tourism is the head of the governmental department that specializes in tourism, recreation and/or culture. The position exists in many different countries under several names: *Ministry of Tourism and Environment (Albania) *Ministry ...

named Tirupati as the "Best Heritage City". Tirupati has been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under Smart Cities Mission by Government of India.

Etymology

In Dravidian languages, ''tiru'' means sacred, Honourable, or '' Lakshmi'' and ''pati'' means abode, residence, or ''husband.'' Tirupati (Tirumala) is referred to as Pushpa-mandapa in Acharya-Hridayam (13th century).

History

Puranas

According to '' Varaha Purana'', during '' Treta Yuga'', Rama resided here with Sita and Lakshmana on his return from Lankapuri. As per the '' Purana'', a loan of one crore and 11.4 million gold coins was sought by Balaji from

Kubera Kubera ( sa, कुबेर, translit=Kuberā) also known as Kuvera, Kuber and Kuberan, is the god of wealth, and the god-king of the semi-divine yakshas in Hinduism. He is regarded as Guardians of the directions, the regent of the north (' ...

for his marriage with

Padmavathi Padmavati (, ) also known as Alamelu Manga is a Hindu goddess and the consort of the deity Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu. She is described as a daughter of local king and an avatar of goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu. The most prom ...

. To pay back the loan, devotees from all over India visit the temple and donate money.

Ancient history

Tirupati was developed by

Pallava The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as fe ...

Kings from 6th century onwards. The city became a great Vaishnava centre during the time of Ramanujacharya in 11th century, from where Srivaishnavism spread to other parts of Andhra Desa. Srikurmam Temple in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh bears the inscription, ''Tirupati Srivaishnavula Raksha''. Tirupati survived the

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

invasions by accepting to pay

Jizya Jizya ( ar, جِزْيَة / ) is a per capita yearly taxation historically levied in the form of financial charge on dhimmis, that is, permanent Kafir, non-Muslim subjects of a state governed by Sharia, Islamic law. The jizya tax has been unde ...

to the Muslims. During the early 1300s

Muslim invasion Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...

of South India, the idol of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam was brought to Tirupati for safekeeping. The temple town for most of the medieval era was part of Vijayanagara Empire until the 17th century and its rulers contributed considerable resources and wealth, notable among whom are Krishna Deva Raya and Achyuta Deva Raya, Sadasiva Raya and Tirumala Deva Raya. The city has many historical temples including the Venkateshvara Temple which bears 1,150 inscriptions in the Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada languages. Out of 1150 inscriptions 236 belong to

Chola The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...

and Pandya dynasties, 169 belonged to Saluva dynasty, 251 belonged to Achyuta Deva Raya period, 130 belonged to Sadasiva Raya period and another 135 originated in Aravidu dynasty. These mostly specify the contributions of the Pallava Kingdom around the ninth century CE, Chola Kingdom around the tenth century CE and the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th century CE. In the 15th century, Tallapaka Annamacharya sung many songs in praise of the holy town in Telugu. He termed it as divine, including the rocks, streams, trees, animals, and adds that it is heaven on earth. One example of such a song is:

''Kattedura Vaikuntamu Kaanachaina Konda''
''Thettalaya Mahimale Tirumala Konda'' , ,
''Vedamulae Silalai Velasinadi Konda''
''Yedesa Punya Rasule Yerulainadi Konda''
''Gadili Brahmadi Lokamula Konalu Konda''
''Sree Devudundeti Seshadri Konda'' , ,

There was no human settlement at lower Tirupati until 1500. With the growing importance of upper Tirupati, a village formed at the present-day Kapilatheertham Road area and was named "kotturu". It was later shifted to the vicinity of Govindarajaswamy Temple which was consecrated around the year 1130 CE. Later the village grew into its present-day form around Govindaraja Swamy Temple which is now the heart of the city. It has now gained a lot of popularity as a tourism place.

Modern history

In 1932, Tirumala Venkateswara Temple was handed over to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams by the TTD Act of 1932. In 2006, Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) and TTD together conducted "Tirupati Utsavam" which focused on the history of development of Tirupati town, kings who visited Tirumala and their contribution for development of the temple. The fourth World Telugu Conference, a conference for furtherance of Telugu language, was conducted at Tirupati during December 2012 for three days. In January 2017, the 104th Indian Science Congress (ISCA) meeting was held in Tirupati.

Geography

Tirupati is located at in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh state in southern India. Tirupati lies at the foot of Seshachalam Hills of Eastern Ghats which were formed during

Precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...

era. One of its suburbs, Tirumala, which is home to Sri Venkateshvara Temple, is located within the hills. Tirupati Urban Development Authority includes Tirupati (City),

Renigunta Renigunta is a neighbourhood and suburb of Tirupati located in Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Tirupati Airport is located in Renigunta. It is a part of Tirupati urban agglomeration. It is also the mandal headquarters of ...

, Chandragiri, and census towns Akkarampalle, Avilala, Cherlopalle, Mangalam, Peruru, Settipalle, Thummala gunta (part), Timminaidupalle, Tiruchanur, Tirupati (NMA). Tirupati is surrounded by

Srikalahasti Srikalahasti is a holy town in Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the revenue division of Srikalahasti mandal & Srikalahasti revenue division. It is a part of Tirupati Urban Development Authority, wh ...

towards the east, Puttur towards the south, Pakala towards the west and the Seshachalam hills ( Tirumala) towards the north. Swarnamukhi river originates in Chandragiri Hills and passes through the Tirupati City before reaching Srikalahasti in the east.

Environment

Geology

Plaque at Tirumal hills on Eparchean Unconformity

At the point on the Tirupati – Tirumala ghat road, there is a major discontinuity of stratigraphic significance that represents a period of remarkable serenity in the geological history of the Earth. This is referred to as

Eparchaean Unconformity Tirupati Eparchaean Unconformity, a notified National Geo-heritage Monumentunconformity separates the Nagari Quartzite 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 of the Archean. In 2001, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) declared the Eparchaean Unconfirmity to be one of the 26 "Geological Monuments of India". Natural stone arch in tirumala

Silathoranam, a natural arch and a distinctive geological feature, is located in the Tirumala Hills at a distance of from Tirumala Venkateshvara Temple. The arch measures 8 metres in width and 3 metres in height and is eroded from quartzite of Cuddapah Supergroup of Middle to Upper

(1600 to 570 Ma) by weathering agents like water and wind.

Flora and fauna

Sri Venkateshvara National Park is a

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

and biosphere reserve which is part of Seshachalam hills. The total area of the park is . The park is home to about 1,500 vascular plant species belonging to 174 families. Some of the rare and endemic plant species like red sanders, '' Shorea talura'', '' Shorea thumburggaia'', '' Terminalia pallida'', sandalwood, '' Syzygium alternifolium'', and ''

Psilotum nudum ''Psilotum nudum'', the whisk fern, is a fernlike plant. Like the other species in the order Psilotales, it lacks roots. Its name, ''Psilotum nudum'', means "bare naked" in Latin, because it lacks (or seems to lack) most of the organs of typica ...

'' occur in this region. ''

Cycas beddomei ''Cycas beddomei'' is a species of cycad in the genus ''Cycas'', native to India, where it is confined to a small area of Andhra Pradesh state in the Tirumala Hills in scrubland and brush covered hills. Superficially similar to ''Cycas revolu ...

'', a species of cycad in the genus Cycas, is found only in the

Tirumala Hills Tirumala is a spiritual town in Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the suburbs of the Tirupati, Tirupati urban agglomeration. The town is a part of Tirupati Urban Development Authority and located in Tirupa ...

. About 178 species of birds from this national park have been identified which includes the globally threatened yellow-throated bulbul, grey-fronted green pigeon, critically endangered Oriental white-backed vulture,

large hawk-cuckoo The large hawk-cuckoo (''Hierococcyx sparverioides'') is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It has a wide breeding distribution from temperate Asia along the Himalayas extending to East Asia. Many populations winter further south. They ...

blue-faced malkoha The blue-faced malkoha (''Phaenicophaeus viridirostris'') or small green-billed malkoha, is a non-parasitic cuckoo found in the scrub and deciduous forests of peninsular India and Sri Lanka. It has a waxy, dark, blue-grey plumage on its upperpart ...

, yellow-browed bulbul,

Indian scimitar-babbler The Indian scimitar babbler (''Pomatorhinus horsfieldii'') is an Old World babbler. It is found in peninsular India in a range of forest habitats. They are most often detected by their distinctive calls which include an antiphonal duet by a pair ...

and

Loten's sunbird Loten's sunbird (''Cinnyris lotenius''), also known as the long-billed sunbird or maroon-breasted sunbird, is a sunbird endemic to peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Named after Joan Gideon Loten, who was the Dutch governor of colonial Ceylon, it is ...

. Among predators the

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...

is quite common, along with the

wild dog A free-ranging dog is a dog that is not confined to a yard or house. Free-ranging dogs include street dogs, village dogs, stray dogs, feral dogs, etc., and may be owned or unowned. The global dog population is estimated to be 900 million, of w ...

. Among reptiles, the most interesting species is the gliding lizard, found in some deep forested valleys. Another important reptile of this national park is the golden gecko. Established in 1987, Tirupati Zoo or Sri Venkateshvara Zoological Park is a zoo located at Tirupati and is Asia's largest zoo, with an area of 5500 acres. It is built on the concept of Hindu mythology. It exhibits only animals that are mentioned in the ancient epics like '' Ramayana'', '' Mahabharatha'', and ''

Panchatantra The ''Panchatantra'' (IAST: Pañcatantra, ISO: Pañcatantra, sa, पञ्चतन्त्र, "Five Treatises") is an ancient Indian collection of interrelated animal fables in Sanskrit verse and prose, arranged within a frame story.

''. The enclosures are named based on Indian mythology. It hosts a wide range of animals such as deer, monkeys, lions, tigers, bears, elephants, peafowl, grey pelicans, marsh crocodiles, and starred tortoises. Sri Venkateshvara Gosamrakshana shala is a home for cattle received as a donation (Godanam). It was established in 1956 by TTD and renamed to S.V. Gosamrakshana Shala in 2004. It is located at Chandragiri road, Tirupati. It is maintained by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams using the funds received through the Sri Venkateshvara Gosamrakshana Shala Trust. Activities of the trust include providing a good environment, management, and feeding for the cattle. The milk and its products produced here are used by TTD for daily rituals at Sri Venkateshvara Temple and other TTD temples.

Climate

Tirupati has a tropical wet and dry climate designated as ''Aw'' (dry "winter") under the Köppen climate classification system. During the dry season, which lasts from January to May, average minimum temperatures are between . The dry season is followed by the rainy season, which lasts from June until the end of December. The city experiences heavy rainfall in November during the northeast monsoon season. The highest rainfall in 24 hours () was on 16 November 2015, during the 2015 South India floods. Cyclones commonly hit the Coast of Nellore and bring heavy rain to the city.

Demographics

Census of India The decennial Census of India has been conducted 16 times, as of 2021. While it has been undertaken every 10 years, beginning in 1872 under British Viceroy Lord Mayo, the first complete census was taken in 1881. Post 1949, it has been conducted by ...

, the Tirupati city municipal corporation had a population of 287,035. The total population constitutes 145,977 males and 141,058 females — a sex ratio of 966 females per 1000 males, higher than the national average of 940 per 1000. There were 24,643 children in the age group of 0–6 years. It had an effective literacy rate (7+ copulation) of 87.55%. The urban agglomeration had a population of 459,985, of whom males constitute 231,456, females constitute 228,529 — a sex ratio of 987 females per 1000 males and 41,589 children are in the age group of 0–6 years. There are a total of 356,558 literates with an effective literacy rate (7+ population) of 85.22%.

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 official and the most commonly spoken language (87.98%). It is followed by Urdu (5.50%) and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

(3.40%), Hindi (1.01%) which are spoken in small numbers.

Governance

Tirupati Assembly constituency is one of the 175 assembly constituencies of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, India. Tirupati is part of Tirupati (Lok Sabha constituency). Gurumurthy Maddela of

YSR Congress Party The Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP or YCP; ) is an Indian regional political party based in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Its president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy serves as the state's chief minister. It is currently the fifth lar ...

is the sitting Member of Parliament for Tirupati (Lok Sabha constituency). Bhumana Karunakara Reddy of YSR Congress Party is the sitting Member of Legislative Assembly for Tirupati (Assembly constituency) and chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams and B. R. Sirisha Yadav of YSR Congress Party is the mayor for Tirupati Municipal Corporation. C. Mohith Reddy of YSR Congress Party is the

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA).

Civic administration

Tirupati Municipal Corporation (TMC) oversees the administration of the city. Tirupati was constituted as a municipality on 1 April 1886; it was upgraded to a second grade municipality on 1 October 1962, to a first grade municipality on 12 December 1965, to special grade municipality on 13 February 1970, and to selection grade municipality on 7 October 1998. Tirupati Municipality was upgraded to a municipal corporation on 2 March 2007. The area of the municipal corporation at the time of formation was . While, at present the area of the city is . Tirupati has been ranked among the top ten cleanest cities in India as per Swachh Survekshan 2022 report. Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) is the urban planning authority. It was constituted in the year 1981, with Tirupati town and 89 villages under its jurisdiction. In 2008, it included

, Puttur and 69 surrounding villages. At present TUDA covers an area of .

Law and order

Tirupati has the status of Urban Police District; it has 25 police stations. 100

Octopus An octopus ( : octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bodied, eight- limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttle ...

(Organisation For Counter Terrorist Operations) commandos are deployed at Tirupati temple for its security. This was formed by Government of Andhra Pradesh in the year 2012. The elite commando force has been specially trained for in-house intervention, hostage rescue and in the Israeli combat technique Krav Maga. At Alipiri, a security zone was established to screen vehicles and pilgrims entering Tirumala, to safeguard the hills from terrorists and anti-social elements. To ensure more safety in Tirumala-Tirupati, the government of Andhra Pradesh started a project called "Safe City-Tirupati": the Tirupati temple and the city is under 24*7 CCTV surveillance with 3000 CCTV cameras, monitored from a command-and-control centre. Baggage scanners and Explosives detectors are installed at several places.

Utility services

Electricity to the city is distributed by

Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited or APSPDCL is the Electricity Distribution company owned by the Government of Andhra Pradesh for the Nine Southern Districts of Andhra Pradesh namely Kurnool, Anantapur, Tirupati, Sri S ...

(APSPDCL), headquartered at Tirupati. The city mostly depends on groundwater for its needs, though it also gets water from

Telugu Ganga The Telugu Ganga project is a joint water supply scheme implemented in 1980s by the then Andhra Pradesh chief minister N.T.Ramarao and Tamilnadu Chief minister M. G. Ramachandran to provide drinking water to Chennai city in Tamil Nadu. It is als ...

canal and Kalyani dam. There are dams in the vicinity:

Kalyani Dam The Kalyani Dam is a gravity dam constructed across the Swarnamukhi river at Tirupati city and located in Tirupati District of Andhra Pradesh, India. This dam is one of the major sources of water supply for Tirupati city and its catchment areas ...

, Papavinasanam Dam, Gogurbham Dam, Pasupudara Dam, Kumaradara Dam, Akasa Ganga, all in the Tirumala Hill ranges. Of these, Papavinasanam, Gogurbham, Pasupudara, kumaradara, and Akasa Ganga completely cater to the water needs of Tirumala and Venkateshvara Temple while 49% of Kalyani Dam water is being supplied to Tirumala and remaining water is supplied to Tirupati. Tirupati falls under the Tirupati Telecom District of the

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Bharat, or Bharath, may refer to: * Bharat (term), the name for India in various Indian languages ** Bharata Khanda, the Sanskrit name for the Indian subcontinent (or South Asia) * Bharata, the name of several legendary figures or groups: ** Bh ...

Limited (BSNL). BSNL is planning to establish 27 Wi-Fi hotspots in the city. The city also has a Regional Passport Seva Kendra (PSK). PSK-Tirupati will cover Prakasam, Nellore, Chittoor, Kadapa,

and

Anantapur Anantapur, officially Anantapuramu, is a city in Anantapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Anantapuru mandal and also the divisional headquarters of Anantapur revenue division. The city is loca ...

districts of Andhra Pradesh and will come under Visakhapatnam Passport Office. The city ranked sixth in India among the 200 cities that competed during Swachh Survekshan – 2018 conducted by Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India. According to the National Urban Sanitation Policy, the city was ranked 117th in the country in 2009–10, with a total of 39.363 points. As part of 'Swachh Tirupati', Tirupati Municipal Corporation has started household waste segregation programme. As of May 2015, 150 Tonnes of waste is being collected per day from households within the municipal limits. The city is the 11th cleanliest city with 66 points in the cleanliness scorecard, published by Union Tourism Ministry of India.

Healthcare

Tirupati is a medical hub with major hospitals situated in its vicinity. Many of these are either run under State government or run/funded by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). SVAravind EYE Hospital Tirupati

Sri Venkateshvara Ramnarain Ruia Government General Hospital is one of the largest in the state of Andhra Pradesh, and the main government hospital for the

region. It was started in the year 1962 with a donation of Rs.5 lakhs from Sri Radha Krishna N. Ruia and 15 lakhs from TTD. At present it has 750 beds. Sri Venkateshvara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) is another major medical institute, founded in 1986. Pvt Hospital in Tpty

Balaji Institute of Surgery, Research and Rehabilitation for the Disabled (BIRRD) has 250 beds; it was established in 1985 by TTD to treat patients with polio myelitis, cerebral palsy, congenital anomalies, spinal injuries, and orthopaedic impairments. A non-profit organisation, it is run with funds from Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams and donations from the public. Government Maternity Hospital (GMH) in Tirupati is the largest maternity hospital in the state in terms of number of deliveries. Established over 50 years ago, GMH serves pregnant woman from Chittoor, YSR, Nellore, Anantapur districts of Andhra Pradesh and few areas of Tamil Nadu. GMH was named "best hospital" under the "sterilization and institutional deliveries category" by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for the year 2013.

Economy

City economic overview

The gross domestic product of Tirupati is US$3.48 billion. FOXLINK Facility at APIIC EMC Tpty

Tourism is the major industry in Tirupati. The entire economy directly or indirectly depends on Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). TTD is headquartered at Tirupati. Established in 1932, TTD is an independent trust which manages Tirumala Venkateshvara Temple and List of temples under Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, other temples in Tirupati and all over the world. It is also involved in several social activities. As Tirupati is a major religious tourist destination, the hospitality industry is also a major industry which includes many 3 star hotels and lodges. Taj Group of Hotel Tirupati

Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL) is also headquartered at Tirupati. Gandhi Road, Prakasam Road, V.V Mahal Road, AIR Bypass Road are highly commercial areas in the city. Major brands of automobile, textile, mobile, electrical and electronic companies have their outlets in Tirupati. Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation, APIIC Industrial Park is located at Gajulamandyam, Renigunta. Industries like Sri Venkateshvara Cooperative Sugar Factory Limited, AshwiniBio Pharma Ltd and others are situated in this park. Amara Raja Group, Amara Raja factory is located at Karakambadi, Renigunta. Lanco cement factory is located at Eerpedu mandal. The majority of the city residents are employed under TTD. Zoho Corporation, Zoho, an Indian software development company has an office in

and has been operating from this office since 2018.

IT/ITES and electronics industry

Sri Venkateshwara Mobile and Electronics Manufacturing Hub is a dedicated mobile handset and electronics manufacturing facility located at Tirupati. The hub is spread over Acres out of which Celkon is established in acres, Micromax in acres, Karbonn in acres and Lava in acres with a total investment of Rupees 2000 crores. Dixon Technologies has a manufacturing unit in this hub, where they are producing Smart TVs for Xiaomi.

Tourism sector

Tourism sector is of great importance to the city. It is because of the presence of Tirumala Venkateshvara Temple and a number of other temples in and around the city. It attracts large number of tourists which helps the tourism department of the state in generating revenue. Tirumala is said to be one of the most visited religious sites on earth, and Tirupati Temple is currently a Guinness World Record holder for most visited temple in the world.

Culture

Festivals

The city celebrates all major List of Hindu festivals, Hindu festivals, including Sankranti, Ugadi, Krishna Janmashtami, Maha Shivaratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Deepavali, Rama Navami, and Kartik Poornima. Srivari Brahmotsavam is a nine-day event, celebrated during the months of September–October, when the temple of Tirumala witnesses lakhs of devotees. During this festival, the processional deity Malayappa swami, Malayappa of Venkateshvara Temple, along with his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi, is taken in a procession in four mada streets around the temple on different Vahanams. Tirupati also celebrates a carnival named as Tirupati Ganga Jatara, held during second week of May every year. This is a week long festival where Gangamma (Gramadevata, Grama Devatha) is worshiped. The tank behind Padmavathi Temple, Tiruchanur has Padma Pushkarini, where Chakra Snanam is undertaken on last day of the annual Padmavathi Brahmotsavams (Panchami Teertham). It witnesses lakhs of Devotees taking a dip in the holy waters. Vaikunta Ekadasi, the day on which it is believed that Vaikunta Dwarams will be opened and the most important Vasihnavite festival, is celebrated in Tirumala and Tirupati with grandeur. Ratha Saptami#In Tirumala, Rathasapthami is another festival, celebrated in February, when Venkateshvara's processional deity (Malayappa swami) is taken in a procession around the temple on seven different vahanas from early morning to late night. Krishna Janmashtami, Sri Krishna janmastami, also known as Gokulashtami, is celebrated with great fervour at Tirupati. The Lotus Temple belonging to International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is illuminated with lamps and paintings displaying themes from Bhagavata Purana, Srimad Bhagavatham. The celebrations include offering prayers to Krishna, Sri Krishna, Utlotsavam, Annamacharya, Annamayya Kirtana alapana, Bhagavad Gita, Geetha Parayanam among others. On this day 'Gokulashtami Asthanam' is held at Tirumala Venkateshvara Temple. TTD also celebrates janmastami at Sri Venkateshvara Gosamrakshana Shala where prayers are offered to cows, horses and elephants. Maha Shivaratri and Kartik Poornima are the most auspicious occasions celebrated in Kapila Theertham. A Tirupathi laddu

Cuisine

The city's Tirupati Laddu is world famous among Hindu devotees around the world. It is the prasadam at Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala, Venkateshvara Temple, Tirumala. Tirupati Laddu was awarded the Geographical indication tag which entitles only Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams to make or sell it.

Arts, crafts and architecture

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams established Sri Venkateshvara 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, Puja (Hinduism), pooja items and idols. It has a comprehensive photo gallery that gives a unique insight into Tirupati region's culture and traditions. It also boasts a meditation centre. In 1988–89 Archaeological Survey of India had established an archaeological museum in the Chandragiri Fort, Andhra Pradesh, Chandragiri fort at Chandragiri. It exhibits rich collection of stone and metal sculptures of Hindu gods and other cultural vestiges retrieved from other historical places like Gudimallam, Gandikota and Yaganti. It also includes galleries for medieval weaponry of swords and daggers, coins and paper documents.

Cityscape

Temples

Tirumala Venkateshvara Temple is the most notable temple for being the worlds richest Vaishnavite temple of Venkateswara, Venkateshvara. Beside Venkateshvara Temple, the city is known for many other ancient temples, such as Padmavathi Temple, Tiruchanur, Padmavathi Temple at Tiruchanur, Govindaraja Temple, Tirupati, Govindaraja Temple, Kapileswara Temple at Kapila Theertham, Kalyana Venkateswara Temple, Srinivasamangapuram, Kalyana Venkateshvara Temple, Srinivasamangapuram, Tirupati Ganga Jatara, Thathayyaguntta Gangamma Temple of goddess Gangamma is the Gramadevata of Tirupati, Sri Kodandaramaswami Temple etc. File:Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala in Chittoor district,Andhra Pradesh.jpg, Venkateshvara Temple File:Tirupathi (6337140675).jpg, Govindaraja Temple, Tirupati, Govindaraja Temple File:Padmavathi Ammavari Temple.JPG, Padmavathi Temple File:KodhandaRamarTemple.jpg, Kodandarama Temple, Tirupati, Kodandarama Temple File:Kapila Theertham waterfalls Tirupati 2015 1.jpg, Kapila Theertham

Other landmarks

Besides historic temples, there are other tourist destinations in and around the city. Chandragiri Fort, Andhra Pradesh, Chandragiri Fort is a historical fort, built in the 11th century located in Chandragiri. The fort hosts an Archaeological Museum maintained by Archaeological Survey of India. Established in 1987, Sri Venkateshvara Zoological Park in Tirupati is the largest Zoo Park, zoo park in Asia, which covers an area of 5532 acres. Tirupati also hosts a Regional Science centre. A Space Exposition Hall, which has a digital Planetarium, the first of its kind in Andhra Pradesh, and an Innovation Space were added to this centre. File:Chandragiri Fort - Raja Mahal (11).jpg, Chandragiri Fort, Andhra Pradesh, Chandragiri Fort File:Regional science centre Tpty.jpg, Regional Science Centre, Tirupati

Neighbourhoods

Tiruchanur, Alipiri, Chandragiri and

are the notable neighbourhoods of the city.

Transport

Roadways

The city is well connected to major cities through National Highway (India), national and state highways. National highways passing through Tirupati are National Highway 71 (which connects Madanapalle and Kadiri), and National Highway 140 connecting Tirupati with Puthalapattu. Within Tirupati Urban Development Authority Limits, there are two additional national highways, namely, NH 716 and NH 565. NH 716 connects Renigunta part of Tirupati to Chennai and Muddanur (via Kadapa and Rajampet). NH 565 on the other hand connects NH 71 to NH 65 - it starts from Yerpedu area of Tirupati and ends at Nakrekal in Nalgonda district. There are two all-weather, Road surface, asphalt Tirumala ghat roads, ghat roads between Tirupati and Tirumala, one constructed in 1944 and the other in 1974. There is a total of of roads within the Tirupati Municipal Corporation limits.

Public transport

APSRTC is the state owned transport service, which operates buses to various destinations from Tirupati bus station complex. The bus station comprises three mini bus stations to various destinations, such as Srinivasa bus station for west-bound destinations, Sri Hari bus station for east bound destinations and Yedukondalu bus station is utilised for bus services to Tirumala. Balaji Link bus station at Alipiri is also used for bus services to Tirumala. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams runs free buses from the railway station and central bus stand to Alipiri for pilgrims. The buses to Tirumala are known as Sapthagiri Express. Tirupati is in close proximity with the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Hence, direct buses from Tirumala to Chennai, Bengaluru, Jayanagar, Bangalore, Vellore, Kanchipuram are run by APSRTC Sapthagiri Express. Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, KSRTC, TNSTC and State Express Transport Corporation (Tamil Nadu), SETC also operates their services to Lower Tirupati. There are also private transport which operate in the city.

Tirumala foot steps

There are two footpaths from Tirupati to Tirumala. These paths are called ''Sopanamargas'' and are mostly used by pilgrims. The first (and older) path starts from Alipiri and has 3550 steps, totalling . At Alipiri there is a temple dedicated to Venkateshvara called Padalamandapam. There are four Gopurams (temple towers) along the way. The other path, called ''Sri Vari Mettu'' starts from Srinivasa Mangapuram and is long. Both paths are completely roofed and pass through seven hills (part of Seshachalam Hills).

Railways

Tirupati has 6 railway stations. is classified as an ''A1 station'' in the Guntakal railway division of South Central Railway zone. and are the satellite stations, used for decongesting rail traffic at the main station. In addition to these, Tirupati also has Chandragiri, Yerpedu and Renigunta Junction Railway stations to serve the needs of the people of the city.

Airways

Tirupati Airport is located from the city centre and has daily flights to Coimbatore, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Kolhapur,Pune, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, Shirdi, Rajahmundry, Kalaburagi, Hubli, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad. The closest international airport is Chennai International Airport which is from Tirupati. Tirupati Airport is being upgraded to an international airport. The new terminal was inaugurated on 22 October 2015.

Education

The primary and secondary school education is imparted by government, aided and private schools of the School Education Department of the state. Majority of them are named after presiding deity of Tirupati temple, Venkateswara, Venkateshvara and his consort goddess Alamelu, Padmavati. SVU Admin Building

There are several universities and colleges including Government of Andhra Pradesh, state government and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam sponsored such as, Sri Venkateswara University, Sri Venkateshvara University, established in 1954; Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam, a dedicated women's university; Medical colleges include Sri Venkateswara Medical College, Sri Venkateshvara Medical College and Sri Padmavathi Medical College for Women. Sri Venkateshvara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) is also a medical institute, Sri Venkateswara Vedic University, Sri Venkateshvara Vedic University to preserve, foster and promote oral traditions of Vedic, Agamic and Cognate Literature, with focus on right intonations. Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, a university established for higher learning in Sanskrit studies, Traditional Sastras and Pedagogy. Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University, Sri Venkateshvara Veterinary University to strengthen education and services in the fields of Veterinary Science, Dairy Technology and Fishery Science in the State of Andhra Pradesh. Sri Venkateshvara Institute of Traditional Sculpture and Architecture (SVITSA) run by TTD is one of the two institutions in India offering courses in traditional sculpture and architecture to students. Seven diploma courses are offered in subjects such as Hindu temple architecture, temple architecture, stone sculpture, Sudai aculpture, metal sculpture, wood sculpture, traditional painting and traditional Kalamkari art. Indian Culinary Institute, Tirupati is the first culinary institute in India established by Ministry of Tourism (India). The city has Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) and IIT Tirupati which were allotted by Government of India to the state of Andhra Pradesh. Sri Venkateswara College of Law is a notable law college in Tirupati.

Research

* The National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL) is an autonomous research institute funded by the Department of Space of the Government of India. NARL is engaged in fundamental and applied research in the field of atmospheric sciences. It is around from Tirupati. * Sri Venkateswara Medical College, Tirupati is selected for establishment of Multidisciplinary Research Units (MRUs) and Model Rural Health Research Units (MRHRU) by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). * Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Tirupati. It has been established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, in order to promote Higher Scientific Learning and Research as well as Scientific Exploration at the Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels of education and to create Scientists and Academics. IISER Tirupati is recognised as an Institute of National Importance by the Government of India. This new institute started functioning from the 2015 academic year in the month of August. * Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati. IIT Tirupati offers a 4-year Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) along with 2-years Master of Science (M.Sc.) Master of Science (M.S.), Master of Technology (M.Tech. - started in 2018), Master of Public Policy (MPP) & Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programmes in several engineering, science and humanities fields . * Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS), Tirupati is selected for establishment of college level Viral Diagnostic Research Labs. * A sub-centre for All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on the groundnut (peanut) is established at the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Tirupati to conduct research activities on new high. The research will help to meet the needs of the country's 100 arid districts which receive less than rainfall. RARS has so far developed 12 groundnut varieties. * A research centre for indigenous cows was established by TTD at its dairy farm named Sri Venkateshvara Gosamrakshanashala. The purpose of the centre is to protect the cows and also to share the rare breeds among similar organisations. The Gosamrakshanashala already had distinctive high-worth breeds like Ongole, while it is also trying to gather Sahiwal breed of cows from Punjab, Gir cows of Gujarat to the centre, Tharparker and Kankrej cows from Karnataka.

Media

SVBC TV, Sri Venkateshvara Bhakti Channel (SVBC), the first 24-hour Telugu devotional TV channel dedicated to broadcast Hindu devotional programmes is telecast from Tirupati. Started in 1949, ''Sapthagiri (magazine), Sapthagiri'' is a spiritual monthly magazine based at Tirupati and published in

, Sanskrit, Hindi, English,

and Kannada languages. Both SVBC and ''Sapthagiri'' are run by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. Telugu newspapers ''Andhra Bhoomi'', ''Sakshi (magazine), Saakshi'', ''Eenadu'', ''Vaartha'', ''Andhra Jyothi'', and ''Andhra Prabha''; and English newspapers ''Deccan Chronicle'', ''The Hindu'', ''Indian Express'', ''Times of India'', and ''The Hans India'' are available in the city. The Hindu, Sakshi, Andhra Jyothi, Eenadu and other dailies have their printing and publication offices set up here. Tirupati has Akashvani (radio broadcaster), All India Radio station and is served by FM stations BIG FM 92.7, 92.7 Big FM, Red FM 93.5, 93.5 Red FM, and E-FM 104.

References

External links

Tirupati Urban Development Authority
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tirupati (City) Tirupati, Tirupati district Hindu holy cities Cities in Andhra Pradesh District headquarters of Andhra Pradesh Smart cities in India