Andhra Pradesh is full of religious mysteries, one of them happens to be this holy city, Tirupati. The mystical land is a feat of architectural temples that are millennium old, and is hence referred to as 'Spiritual Capital of Andhra Pradesh'. Of these historical temples, the holiest pilgrimage site is Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. The presence of this temple makes the city renowned worldwide. A large number of pilgrims visit the city to take blessings of Lord Venkateswara, who is worshipped in this venerated temple. Many other intriguing sites are hidden in this ancient land that will help you rediscover the fascinating cultural assets of the country.
One of the most valuable assets that this city possesses is this religiously accorded ancient temple. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Sri Venkateswara, an incarnation of Vishnu. It is also known by other names viz. Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple, Tirupati Balaji Temple. Reflecting the Dravidian architecture masterpiece, it is the world’s richest temple.
It is a famous Saivite temple with Theertham (meaning holy water body) located at the entrance of a cave at the foot of Tirumala hills. In accordance to Hindu mythology, the idol was installed by Kapila Muni, owing to which Lord Shiva here is referred to as Kapileeswara. You can see a statue of Nandi bull, erected at the entrance. The gushing water of the mountain stream falling directly into the temple sacred tank called Pushkarni is known as 'Kapila Theertham'.
Located in the heart of the city, it is an ancient Hindu-Vaishnavite temple believed to be one of the primitive sacred structures in the city. Interestingly, it also garners attention as one of the largest temple complexes in Chittoor district. The temple was built during the 12th century and is said to be consecrated in 1130 AD by Saint Ramanujacharya. The presiding deity is Govindarajaswamy, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The seven-storied Rajagopuram measuring 50 m high is the main highlight.
After Tirumala temple, this temple is the one that receives second-most visitors. It was built by Cholas in the 10th century, dedicated to Lord Rama (an incarnation of Vishnu), Sita and Lakshaman. As per Hindu mythology, Lord Rama lived here with Sita and Lakshaman after returning from Lanka. Ram Navami is the main festival of the temple which is also considered the best time to visit.
Named after the famous Tirupati temple, it is one of the largest zoo parks in Asia. The protected area nurtures several animal and bird species which attracts many travelers. Some of the main features are Mayuravani (house for peafowl), Mrugavani (house for herbivores), Vrukavihar (area for smaller carnivores). The fauna that you will be introduced to include parakeets, ducks, geese, flamingoes, swans, pelicans, raptors and mainas.
By Air – The nearest airport is at Renigunta, located 15 km from Tirupati. It offers direct flights to Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru.
By Rail – Tirupati railway station offers trains to cities like Hubbi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolhapur, Mumbai, Puri, Tiruchirapalli, Varanasi and Vijayawada.
By Road – Tirupati shares road connectivity with important cities like Hyderabad (617), Banglore (248), Chennai (151 km), Vijayawada (380 km) and Lepakshi (379 km).
MarcoFrance1965
UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE !
I just came back from a 12 days Rajasthan tour. It was just myself and my 14 year olde daughter. I found Caper surfing the web and had non suggestion from friends and had never read comments or reviews about it. Totally "blind-choice". I was very lucky. The organization was really excellent. The agent that followed us, Mr. Praveen Juyal did a great job. I decided our itinerary and he punctually gave me suggestions on the best management of my choices. The hotel choice was fine and confirmed expectations. We had tour guides in every site seeing location and they were all extremely professional, very punctual and really kind and polite.
But I must say that what made the trip even better was our driver; Mr. Deshraj.
One of those persons that you really wish you could meet once in your life. Not only an excellent driver but always helpful, respectful and friendly. He explained us many things about Indian life along the journey and sometimes stopped for short breaks in beautiful places on the road that were not even mentioned in the guide books. My only regret is that at the end of the trip I didn't have much money left and I left a tip probably not adeguate for the kind of service but I will definitely send him try to sort this maybe in a next trip. Thank you very much Caper and Deshraj.
Dreamer802943
A Memorable Trip
We recently concluded a 12 day driving tour of New Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan with Caper Travel. It was most enjoyable !! The logistics arrangements were excellent - from tour planning , hotel selection , vehicle condition to driver. Mr Alok handled the planning, and Mr Vikram was our Tempo driver throughout the journey. Mr Vikram was very helpful , accommodating and patient throughout the tour, despite long hours of driving on the roads ( not to mention India traffic}. We would not hesitate to recommend Caper to our fellow travellers who are thinking of visiting India. Thank You Caper !
goochie33, London, United Kingdom
Golden triangle goa and mumbia
Just come back from an amazing 2 week trip to India. First we done the golden triangle which we chose to do the train trip from Delhi to Agra a must you have to do if not just for the experience. All the cities were wonderful but be prepared to see lots of temple one seems to run into another but wow the taj was my highlight along with the Hindu temple in Delhi. The driving the cows the dogs are everywhere are all an experience. Goa was beautiful we stayed at the taj exotica. In mumbia we done a city tour and ended our trip in the taj for afternoon tea another must. It is a exhilarating trip but one I will never forget. From booking with Manika to all the drivers and guides they were always there to meet us from the airport and hotels on time. They really looked after us thank you all.
Aileen M
Wonderful trip
We have just returned from our first trip to India and we must say it was absolutely fascinating. The itinerary was first class and covered everything we could have wished for. On arrival we were met by a very nice rep and driver who took us to our hotel and sorted out the necessary paperwork with us. We had our driver Vishan for our time in the north and he was terrific, kept the vehicle spotless and kept us supplied with water. We then flew to the south of India and met up with our driver Suhdeer who again was very nice and very informative about things as we drove along. The guides we had on all our trips were excellent and again very informative.
The only down side to it all was that in our package we paid for the drivers accommodation, food and allowance only to find out that the drivers don’t receive this money and if they want accommodation they have to pay for it themselves. We ended up paying one of our drivers an amount for the nights that we had him for him to get somewhere to sleep and food as we were concerned that if he slept in his car he wouldn’t be rested enough to take on the next day driving for 4-5 hours.
All in all Caper Travel are excellent in their planning and can’t fault them for that.
Urquiola, New York City, New York
Caper travel
Recently traveled to India on a private guided tour with Caper Travel. Ms. Mumtaz Khan worked with me on arranging my itinerary.
She was always available to answer all my concerns immediately. On my arrival in Delhi I was welcome with warm smile at the airport by a young gentleman name Kapol Joshi . My experience with the company was amazing and I would highly recommend to anyone traveling to India.
I would also like to mention the personal attention I received at Amritsar by Aman Shara and his lovely wife who welcomed me and my son to their home
and soon to open their beautiful hotel.