Tirumala Travel Guide

Tirumala - The Seven Sacred Hills

The picturesque Tirumala hills, it comprises seven peaks, representing the seven hoods of Audisesha , thus earning the name Seshachalam. Tirumala is situated 2820 ft above MSL and is about 100sq.m in area.
The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Vedadri, Garudadri, Anjandri, Vrishabhadri, Narayandri and Venkatadri (Adri in sanskrit means Hill).The Venkatam hill is believed to be a part of the celestial mount meru, brought to the earth from Vaikuntam by Garuda.The sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara is located on the seventh peak,Venkatdri and there are several legends associated with the manifestation of the lord in Tirumala. The shrine of the lord is very ancient and there are ample references to it in the early inscriptions belonging to the Chola and Pallava periods as well in the Sangam literature. The abode of the lord is about 10 Km north-west of Tirupati and there are footsteps leading to the hill as well as two separate serpentine roads to reach the shrine. According to legend ,God Vishnu revealed himself earlier in the previous incarnations as Varahaswamy on the banks of the present temple tank.This manifestation of the white boar (Sveta Varaham) is enshrined in the Adi Varahaswany temple situated on the northeastern banks of the tank.
As per the tradition, there are more than 108 sacred tirthas (springs) at Tirumala hills.

Prominent among them are, Swami Pushkarini, Kumara Dhara Tirtha, Tumburu Tirtha, Rama Krishna Tirtha, Akasha Ganga Tirtha, Papavinasanam, Gogarba Tirtha (Pandava Tirtha), Jabili Tirtha, Vaikunta Tirtha, Pasupudhara Tirtha, and Kapila Tirtha at Tirupati. It is believed that one who takes dip in the sacred water will attain salvation from the cycle of birth and death. Vamana Purana, Bhavishyothara purana, Bramha Purana, Varaha Purana, Padma Purana and Skanda Purana describe the significance of these sacred springs.

Swami Pushkarini : This tank, adjacent to the Temple, is highly sacred. Pilgrims take bath here before entering the temple.A bath in the Holy tank purifies one's body and soul.

Akasa Ganga : This is a waterfall about 3 kms to the north of the temple.

Papavinasanam : This is about 5 kms to the north of the temple.

Vaikunta Tirtham : It is at a distance of 3 kms from north-east of the temple.

Tumbura Tirtham : About 16 kms north of the temple.

Geological Arch (Silathoranam) : This rare geological formation is situated at 1 km north of the temple.

TTD Gardens : The Devasthanam maintains beautiful, Ornamental gardens with rare species of plants and trees.

Astana Mandapam (Sadas Hall) : This is the venue for the devotional programmes like discourses, music concerts, Hari Kathas and Bhajanas conducted under the auspices of Dharma Prachara Parishad.

Sri Venkateswara Dhyana Jnana Mandiram (SV Museum) : This building, an architectural beauty, houses a museum, meditation center and photo gallery. This complex is built at a cost of 4 crores. Places of interest in and around Tirupati.

Access
Air: Tirumala Tirupati is well connected by rail,road and air. Though Tirupati is has a domestic airport,the nearest International airport is at chennai. The domestic carrier Indian airlines has regular flights into the temple town from all the major cities of India.
Rail: Tirupati is well connected by rail network on India.
Road: Tirupati is well connected by road. All the state transport corporations as well as private operators ply from all the major cities to the temple town. Buses are available from Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, etc.