It was our age old wish to pay a visit to tirupati, but somehow it was not happening for a long time, sometimes due to fear to the mercury soaring in the summer and sometimes due to the potential exodus of people. In September'o8 we could finally make it.....
We booked a package tour of ITDC for Rs. 1550/person by AC Volvo from Bangalore.
There is another package of ITDC but that’s not available in the weekends. While the former is a 2 day Package with Accommodation and sightseeing, the later is a one day package without accommodation but includes Darshana Ticket and special darshana.
Day 1
Day 2
We went back to the bus again, tired after a long and tiresome night. Then they took us to a hotel (Hotel Grand) adjacent to the Tirupati main bus stand. To our surprise, it was 3 star hotel. Everyone was allotted rooms (twin sharing), and it was an excellent and spacious one. We had a nice shower, then had breakfast in the hotel restaurant, and were ready by 9 AM for the Darshana in Tirumala which was about 10KM from the Hotel. Since private buses are not allowed we were asked to board a local bus which they had arranged to take us to the temple.
Though it was September end, the temperature was very high and it was very Humid. So make sure you carry enough drinking water to prevent dehydration.
On the way to Tirumala our bus had a minor accident. That was a much tensed situation as the local crowd and police surrounded the bus and had a heated argument with driver. Somehow it got resolved, and we managed to reach temple an hour late by 12 Noon. The driveway to the temple which is at the Hill Top was something to remember. It was a hilly road, but very well maintained and one way. The hairpin turns in the road didn’t prevent the driver to show his driving skills and we had to hold our breath every time he made a turn.
Immediately after getting down from the bus we walked fast to stand in the queue. Camera is not allowed inside the temple, and there is a very good security at the entrance. Finally, we got into the queue waiting for the darshana. It was very crowded and there was no exit in between. After about 2.5 hours in the queue and we finally managed to get the Darshana, not before surviving the unforgettable jostling everytime time queue moved. It's very risky for women, babies and old people to handle this crowd, especially in front of the main temple where the crowd was worst. We had difficult time standing; there was not enough space to keep our feet. Thanks to my husband who saved me from getting crushed! We hardly got 2 seconds to have a proper glimse of The Lord as the crowd and the Volunteers kept people moving.
After darshana, we donated some money in ‘Hundi’. Here, you can't miss the Huge Glass Room where you can see hundreds of people counting Notes/Coins, and crores of donations heaped around them. Then there was some cooked prasadam at the queue exit which was very delicious. Then we were finally out of the temple and proceeded to the counter where you can collect 2 big laddoos each against your Darshan Ticket. Either you carry a plastic packet before going to the temple, or you can buy each for Rs.2 in different counter available there to carry those BIG Ladoos.
Then we were back to the bus stand nearby, and by 4 PM we returned back to the hotel. We had lunch, and rested for a while. At around 6 PM we went out nearby just to have a look around in the local market but could not find anything special. We bought some fruits as it was very cheap there and returned back to the hotel. We had dinner in the hotel restaurant itself. 2 of us had Steamed Rice, Chapatti, Chicken Biriyani, Chicken Chilly and Chicken Chettinad, the later being the best among all. The bill amounted to Rs 300, and it was a value for the money. After and tiring and eventful day and a very heavy dinner, we had a very good sleep.
Day 3
Around 2 PM we finally started for Bangalore and reached at 8 PM in the same place on Race Course Road.
That ended our long awaited Tirupati Balaji Darshana, and hope we can pay another visit in near future.
