A lot of long distance trains ply through Tirupati railway station from where Tirupati Balaji temple can be easily reached by bus .. Alternatively Renigunta junction is there at a distance of 10kms .

It is always better to book online darshan tickets and accommodation in advance ,  to save time and energy .
It was not a planned trip, so nothing was booked in advance , and we were left clueless and baffled seeing the congregation of worshippers .

However the  sublime beauty of Seshachalam and the everfresh cool breeze kept us captivated throughout the serpentine  ways .

Mythologically , it is believed that Tirupati Balaji borrowed money from Kuber for his marriage with Padmavati .To help him repay his debt , pilgrims donate money in Venkateshwar's hundi , thus making it the second richest temple in India just after Trivandrum's Padmanabhaswamy temple .

However, the money comes back to the service of the people by building various free to use facilities , free meals and several other charity programmes conducted by the temple administration.


At the bus stand we took help of a porter , to keep our bags and freshen up a bit .he took us to a  yatri sadan  where there was the facility  of free locker and free washroom , the locker room was huge , and plenty of pilgrims were taking rest on the floor .

May be the paid darshan pilgrims are allowed entry at first , so it takes only around two hours of waiting for them , and for us it was a test of patience .
But at the end, the divine glimpse of Lord Venkateswar, took away all the pain and irritation . He healed, and filled our hearts with joy .  It felt like an accomplishment, and the darshan was completed with the  chants Govinda Govinda  .

The last bus from Tirumala to Tirupati railway station leaves at around 12oclock , we quickly collected our luggage from the locker and headed towards the bus stand.
We were tired but were very happy by the sight of the revered Lord .

Down the hill ,the plains, appeared to reflect the star struck sky above .
There must be some kind of magic in Tirumala ,which makes the holy shrine the most visited one .
Today when I look back to the day , the only memory that has remained afresh, is the calm golden idol of Venkateshwara, and the chants Govinda Govinda...