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We are planning for a tirupathi trip this month, heard it will be very crowded now as the schools are closed.

We family of 4 travelling with 2 kids from chennai and looking for a day trip. Heard there are many bus & car arranged tours from chennai, can someone recommond some good travel agent info that we can try?

Any suggestions related to tirupathi will be appreciated.
Thanks.

You can try this one. There are lot of tours run by AP tourism and TN tourism daily. They arrange for darshan also. Don't go with private operators (or middle men)
http://www.tamilnadutourism.org/tours/generaltours/oneday_tirupati.html

This one looks to be a private operator. Not sure. Talk to them on darshan arrangements and send some one locally to verify about them before you pay.
http://www.tirumalabalajidarshan.com/tour_tirupati_tirumala.htm

From some one I heard that NRIs can show their visa to buy VIP tickets (fast line). Google for "NRI tirupati darshan"

ITDC and AP tourism also arrange a same day darshan. I have done once through AP tourism & once through ITDC.

Using this thread to post about our trip to Tirumala-Tirupathi.

We took the footpath from Tirupathi to Tirumala. It is about 9-11 kilometers in distance with about 3,350 steps to climb approximately 2800 feet. It can take anywhere upwards of 2.5+ hours for the fittest. Average is about 4 hours for leisurely trek.

Someone posted about kid using "inky-pinky ponky" to indicate that the kids are now Indianized. I would say that my kids are now beyond Indianization and could live anywhere. They trekked the entire trip on nothing but barefoot hitting the sometimes hot metal (stone steps). My elder kid had flu and I had to tell him that he should think like Michael Jordan (whose famous flu game won them the championship once). My kid literally dragged himself the entire way up the hill, with the younger one to cheer him.

On the way, the shops (more like shacks) selling small eats were beyond tempting. My DW refrained from me tasting any, but relented to me trying out the mango slices dipped in chili-salt powder (I am sure many may know what I am talking about).

Wild life encounters - There were monkeys frolicking on the trees. Then there is the deer park on the way. One gets an opportunity to buy some food for the deer and feed them. It was the spotted deer (Chital), and there were a plenty.

After the climb, which took us about 4 hours (had to take it slow due to my kid's health), we were happy to get a token (pretty high tech - they take a picture about half way to the top, then put a stamp near the top on the ticket with the photo) that allows free darshan of the Lord. Once up, they then validate your token by scanning the bar code to pull up your picture and verify that it was you that climbed the hills. (seems like such precautions were in place to catch those professional climbers who get tokens and sell them to devotees wishing a free entry to the temple).

Excited we were and it took us about 30 mins to get to the queue entrance for the footpath warriors. As we entered the queue, some TTD official thrusted a paper cup with some liquid. My wife, being wary of everything, didn't take up the offer, while the daring me grabbed the cup. That cup had warm milk and I haven't tasted a better tasting milk in a while. I offered to my DW and she took a sip protestingly [sic!] upon my insistence that the lord's offer can't be denied. :) I could see her face turn to surprise and an expression of relish after the first sip. She told me that she was wrong to have denied the offer of that TTD official.

What we thought was to be a breeze, ended up to be a 4 hour wait in the queue! We got in to a holding area within 30 mins of the first queue. We were held (seems like a prison) in that holding area, numbered 23 (indicated to me that there were at least 22 other holding areas with devotees). The holding area was like a section of a stadium with stepped seating. It is like a Colosseum's balcony seating with the view to a central courtyard. After about an hour, a big container is wheeled in to a caged corner of this holding area. It was curd rice. They offered free curd rice to the waiting devotees. It was a sight to see the devotees rush towards that caged area to get some food. Initially, they thought that the wait was over and they were on their way to meeting their Lord. Little did they realize that it was to placate their wait. Either way, they were happy to return back to their seats with a plate full of curd rice. Again, any amount of begging with my DW didn't help. She prohibited that I join the melee and mad rush for food. I told her that she was missing out on another opportunity to taste what may turn out to be Amruth!

After another hour or so of wait, the gates opened to our caged section and again there was a mad rush by the devotees to get out. My kids were puzzled with this whole experience and told me not to get too excited and join such madness. They could read my mind, that somewhere inside that lizard brain of mine, it was longing to join the mad rush. :)

We got onto the corridor that leads to the temple complex. Again a wait. All this while, my kid's health was deteriorating and my wife was giving up on meeting the Lord and was trying to convince me that it was her destiny that she be satisfied with worshiping the gopuram, than get in to the sanctum sanctorum. I was not going to let that happen and kept their cheer, sometimes with sternness ("You asked me to climb the damn hill to give up? No way! I may not be a believer, but I am going to go in, come what may!")

We got into another queue and this was the nastiest queue ever! There was constant pushing and shoving. Almost to the point of stampede. The brave me joined the pushing and shoving, not with the intent of getting a step ahead, but with the intent of getting some space for my family. I helped a few elderly as well with the space I gained with my little effort. There was this Romeo (in Tamil, we call them Minors) that was pushing around and when protested by some lady ("It may be fun for you, but it is not fun for us, the serious devotees!"), he responded "Ma'am, it may be serious for you, but for me I never fail to have fun. Isn't that why we are here, to pray to the Lord to have a fun filled life than some serious one?". I was like, yeah right! But have fun at your own damn experience and not at someone else's plight!

We slowly inched towards the sanctum sanctorum, more pushed, than walking in. All the while, my kids, though were disappointed with the madness, were sporting and were going with the flow. Once we reached the sanctum sanctorum (I explained the meaning of that term to my kid), it was a brief while before you are shoved out. I lifted my younger kid for him to see the Lord's statue. It does take your breath away for a brief moment and my kid, who is also not a believer, acknowledged that he was happy with the experience and the sight. It is a darkest of dark chambers with the light on the statue. The lighting effect plays on your mind.

An ordeal of 4 hours of trekking up the hills and 4 hours of wait time in the queue, ended with a brief look at the statue of the Lord. Once you are out, you get couple of laddus (Rs. 20 each now, used to be free earlier) and your once in a blue moon experience is over. While walking up the hills, met with a group of devotees. Talking with them, they indicated that they were trekking from Aavadi (the town where the train bogies are made in India), which is about 140 kms from Tirumala. That put some perspective on our short trek up the hill and whatever inconvenience that we experienced, paled. :)

I would recommend the trek and the queue for anyone visiting Tirumala. This is from a person who can walk into that temple using influence, which my DW abhors and prohibits. I consider that temple to be the temple for the corrupt! The Hundi flows with money that is cursed. Whatever little that the real devotee puts in that Hundi, hope the Lord can sift through and help them.

I prayed for Rain. Today, heard that there were rains in Bangalore. There was a bit of rain in Chennai too! Whatever! (as Ms. Maya would say, or rather confuse us!). :)

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We took the footpath from Tirupathi to Tirumala. It is about 9-11 kilometers in distance with about 3,350 steps to climb approximately 2800 feet. It can take anywhere upwards of 2.5+ hours for the fittest. Average is about 4 hours for leisurely trek.

What are the other options? I hope car goes directly to hill top ?

Chakraan;469147What are the other options? I hope car goes directly to hill top ?

LOL. As I said, it is a temple for the corrupt. The corrupt probably ensured that there is access via automobiles. There was one road to the top and it was the same to return back. Now, they have one road to go up and one to go back down. (My kid was amused as to why they honked on a one-way road. I told him that it was a habit. :) ) The route is plied by taxis who profit from transporting the pilgrims. There is also the bus service.

On the other hand, I was doubtful that my ageing mom with weak knees would survive the brutal queue. They have introduced a special darshan for senior citizens and she did manage well without any discomfort. The seniors are allowed a helping hand. There is no pushing/shoving in that queue. My mom said that there was this guy who seemed young, and was resisted by the older crowd (they thought that he was a cheat, typical in India). The crowd later found that he was maimed (missing a leg) and the crowd ensured that he got the VIP treatment in the senior's queue.

India is a paradox. Coming from an Indian, it may sound hollow, but it is a paradox. The people can be nasty, as well as kind. :)

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I prayed for Rain. Today, heard that there were rains in Bangalore. There was a bit of rain in Chennai too! Whatever! (as Ms. Maya would say, or rather confuse us!). :)

very nice post.