Tirupati Tourism 2023, India - Darshan, History, Tour Guide

Tirupati is an ancient city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The city is home to important historical Hindu temples of India. Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Tirupati Balaji, Sri Padmavati Ammavari Temple and other historical temples are located in this city. Tirupati Venkateswara Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Every year lakhs of tourists and pilgrims come to visit the temple and visit Tirupati. It is the administrative headquarters of Tirupati district. The main attraction here is the Venkateswara Temple which is situated on the Tirumala hills at an altitude of 3,200 feet above sea level. This temple is a wonderful example of ancient Indian architecture and craftsmanship. In ancient times, Buddhist monks used to live here, it was a Buddhavihar place.

Tirupati was developed by the Pallava kings from the sixth century onwards. During the time of Ramanujacharya in the 11th century, the city became a great Vaishnava center from where Srivaishnavism spread to other parts of Andhra Pradesh. Tirupati escaped Muslim invasions by accepting to pay Jizya to Muslims. The deity of the Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple, Srirangam, was brought to Tirupati for safekeeping during the Muslim invasion of South India in the early 1300s. The temple city and many Saas contributed resources and wealth for most of the medieval era until the 17th century.

Tirupati city is home to many other historical temples including the Venkateswara Temple from which 1,150 inscriptions in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada languages have been found. Of the 1150 inscriptions, 236 belong to the Pallava, Chola and Pandya dynasties, 169 belong to the Saluva dynasty, 251 belong to Achyuta Deva Raya Kal, 130 belong to Sadashiva Rakal and another 135 belong to the Aravidu dynasty. During the 15th century Sri Tullapaka Anila Mahacharya composed several hymns in praise of the holy city in Telugu. In his song he compared it to the divine including rocks, waterfalls, trees, animals and said that it is heaven on earth.

The history of Tirumala is described in Srimad Bhagwat. During Satyayuga, the demon Hiranyaksha, with his exploitative activities, had created such a situation that the earth was submerged under the Garbhodaka Sagar. Seeing this the gods reached Lord Brahma who prayed to Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu appeared as Shri Varahadev from Brahma's nose. He killed Hiranyaksha and picked up the earth with his teeth and restored the earth to its previous place.

Apart from Sri Venkateshwara Temple, Tirupati city also has many important attractions which travelers must visit. All the important tourist attractions of Tirupati are mentioned below.

The best months to visit Tirupati are from September to February. The climate is relatively pleasant during this month with intermittent rains. It is humid and extremely hot during summers, hence, according to tourists, this is not considered an ideal season to visit Tirupati. Winter months are ideal for sightseeing and visiting temples. Festivals like Navratri and Dussehra come in the month of October itself which is a good season to visit. Children should avoid traveling to Tirupati during summer season as the temperature here is very high and unbearable.