While Tirupati in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh is the second richest temple after the Padmanabhaswami Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, it is the most visited holy place in the world.
On an average, 50000 pilgrims visit Tirumala Temple, which is popularly known as Tirupati Temple, daily to have a darshan of the presiding deity of Lord Venkateshwara, a form of Lord Vishnu.
According to a legend, the temple deity of Lord Venkateshwara will remain in Tirupati during the entire period of the present Kali Yuga.
Tiru and mala in Tamil meant holy and mountain respectively.
Thus Tirumala has the literary meaning of Holy Mountain.
The devotees have their head tonsured as an offer.
Laddu is the main prasadam given to the devotees at the temple.
Chennai is situated at about 150 km from Tirupati.
Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu, has a history dating back to first century AD.
It is believed that Chennai or 'Chennaipattinam' got its name from the Chenna Kesava Perumal Temple.
Chennai is famous for its temples and churches.
They are considered to be the fine examples of architecture and craftsmanship.
Chennai is also famous for its pre-Independence structures like Fort St.
George, St.
Mary's Church and Madras High Court.
Santhome Cathedral Basilica, St.
Thomas Mount, Thousand Lights Mosque, Parthasarathy Temple, Kaapaleshwar temple, Ashtalakshmi temple, Adeeswar Temple, Theosophical Society, Senate House, Freemasons Hall, National Art Gallery, Guindy Snake Park, Valluvar Kottam, MGR Memorial, Kamaraj Memorial House and Government Museum are the other popular tourist attractions in Chennai.
Chennai is famous for its beautiful beaches.
Marina Beach, which is 12 km long, is one of the longest urban beaches in the world.
Among other popular beaches are Elliot's Beach and Covelong Beach.
Chennai is connected with Tirupati by air, rail and road.
Both the temple town and Chennai have airports.
In both the places, airports are situated some distance away from the centre of the cities.
Since Chennai is situated only 150 km from the temple town, connecting flights are rare.
There are three direct daily trains from Tirupati to Chennai.
Two direct Tirupati-Chennai Express trains (No.
16204 and No.
16054) run in the morning and forenoon.
Tirupati-Chennai Saptagiri Express (No16058) runs in the evening.
The train journey takes only a little more than three hours.
Bus journey from Tirupati to Chennai takes about four hours.
Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation runs regular bus services from Tirupati to Chennai.
Besides private and tourist buses are available in this route.
The bus fare is approximately Rs.
175.
Taxi car journey to Chennai from Tirupati takes a little more than three hours.
The taxi cab charges a fare from Rs.
9 to Rs.
25 per kilometre for the trip.
Hiring a cab is ideal for people travelling in a group.
On an average, 50000 pilgrims visit Tirumala Temple, which is popularly known as Tirupati Temple, daily to have a darshan of the presiding deity of Lord Venkateshwara, a form of Lord Vishnu.
According to a legend, the temple deity of Lord Venkateshwara will remain in Tirupati during the entire period of the present Kali Yuga.
Tiru and mala in Tamil meant holy and mountain respectively.
Thus Tirumala has the literary meaning of Holy Mountain.
The devotees have their head tonsured as an offer.
Laddu is the main prasadam given to the devotees at the temple.
Chennai is situated at about 150 km from Tirupati.
Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu, has a history dating back to first century AD.
It is believed that Chennai or 'Chennaipattinam' got its name from the Chenna Kesava Perumal Temple.
Chennai is famous for its temples and churches.
They are considered to be the fine examples of architecture and craftsmanship.
Chennai is also famous for its pre-Independence structures like Fort St.
George, St.
Mary's Church and Madras High Court.
Santhome Cathedral Basilica, St.
Thomas Mount, Thousand Lights Mosque, Parthasarathy Temple, Kaapaleshwar temple, Ashtalakshmi temple, Adeeswar Temple, Theosophical Society, Senate House, Freemasons Hall, National Art Gallery, Guindy Snake Park, Valluvar Kottam, MGR Memorial, Kamaraj Memorial House and Government Museum are the other popular tourist attractions in Chennai.
Chennai is famous for its beautiful beaches.
Marina Beach, which is 12 km long, is one of the longest urban beaches in the world.
Among other popular beaches are Elliot's Beach and Covelong Beach.
Chennai is connected with Tirupati by air, rail and road.
Both the temple town and Chennai have airports.
In both the places, airports are situated some distance away from the centre of the cities.
Since Chennai is situated only 150 km from the temple town, connecting flights are rare.
There are three direct daily trains from Tirupati to Chennai.
Two direct Tirupati-Chennai Express trains (No.
16204 and No.
16054) run in the morning and forenoon.
Tirupati-Chennai Saptagiri Express (No16058) runs in the evening.
The train journey takes only a little more than three hours.
Bus journey from Tirupati to Chennai takes about four hours.
Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation runs regular bus services from Tirupati to Chennai.
Besides private and tourist buses are available in this route.
The bus fare is approximately Rs.
175.
Taxi car journey to Chennai from Tirupati takes a little more than three hours.
The taxi cab charges a fare from Rs.
9 to Rs.
25 per kilometre for the trip.
Hiring a cab is ideal for people travelling in a group.