Tirupati to Tirumala by Footpath

Three friends or shall we say three musketeers, set out to take the challenge and complete the trek from Tirupati to Tirumala.

In the past one year, we had been to Tirupati 3 or 4 times. Whenever we want to go, we just pick up our car and drive to Tirupati. It is 250 kms from Bangalore and takes about 4 hours to drive. The route is pretty straight and the roads also good except for a small patch which is in bad state and some part of it is a single lane highway.

We started our journey on Thursday i.e. 22 Sep 2011 at night 10.00 pm from Marathalli. I went to my friends place and picked up his Etios and started driving towards Whitefield where we had to pick up another friend. At around 10.40 we started from Whitefield and headed straight towards Hoskote. The road from Hoskote is a national highway and is four lanes. You will see number of RTO check-posts on the way. Though, they are meant for commercial vehicles, sometimes they may stop you and try to make some money for chai-pani. We were also stopped at one such RTO check-post and the person started asking questions. Be calm and answer their questions without any hesitation and be bold. They will ask money in different forms (chai-pani, entry tax, border tax etc.) but they are not authorized to charge you anything and there are no such charges you need to pay if you have your own private vehicle meeting all legal requirements. We told him “no” to his demands and just moved on. On the way we stopped for a tea break. We saw another group joined us at the same tea stall and while talking we got to know that they are from Belgaum. My friend is also from a place close-by and so that interaction started and they probably were going for the first time so started asking questions and we were happy to answer them and help them understand. After some chit-chat, we greeted each other and they started moving forward and left before us. On the way, we saw them again and waved hands at each other like we do it when we are doing see-off to our friends and family members. The drive to Tirupati was very comfortable with one or two breaks we reached at the foothill around 2.00 AM.

We got to know that the vehicle movements from Tirupati to Thirumala is closed for few hours (between 12:00 AM to 3:00 AM) because of which there was some traffic at the foothill (place where the security check of vechiles happen)(Picture 1).

We were also stuck in that traffic, but after finding out that the trek on foot starts from here only, we started enquiring about the way and the parking for our vehicle. We got to know that there is a private bus stand, Balaji Bus Stand (picture 2), which provides parking for private vehicles.

We somehow requested people to move their cars and made some space to get ourselves out of the traffic and started searching for the parking lot. We came back for about 500 meters and found the place. You enter the place and keep going straight till the end of the road. The parking is on the right hand side corner. Be prepared to shell out more in terms of Chai-Pani (tea etc.). The parking ticket is for Rs.15 (for 24 hours), but the lady giving you the ticket will take Rs.20 (Rs. 5 for chai-pani). The guard will guide you to the parking lot and help you park. As soon as you come out of your car, he will ask you for chai-pani. So, it will be good to keep some change handy as almost all the place you encounter, you will have to give chai-pani.

 It was 3:00AM in the morning and we picked up our stuff to carry and started walking to the start point. The walking pathway is open 24 hours and hence you can plan your walk anytime of the day or night. We saw the starting of the footpath and said to ourselves, finally here we are. Alipiri, that’s the name of the place where the pathway starts. The clock was showing 3:10AM (picture 3).
We were excited at the same time little nervous as we had to walk 9 kms covering 3700 odd steps. The temple of Lord Balaji is located on atop one of the range of seven hills – Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushbadri, Narayandri and venkatadri. TTD has made several arrangements to make walk comfortable for the pedestrians. One of them is to carry your luggage from the foothill to the top, free of cost (ofcourse you might have to pay for chai-pani). Electronic gadgets like mobile, camera or Ipod’s are allowed while climbing steps. We did not utilize this service as we did not carry anything extra and just had one small back-pack to carry our personal stuff. You will get a receipt, which you need to retain to collect your luggage from hilltop.

We decided to walk with shoes, but remember that most of the people walk barefoot and walking in shoes will raise some curiosity and eyebrows. However, there is no rule that you have to walk barefoot and don’t worry about the people staring at you, it’s not them but it’s their feeling and emotions which is doing that. We were doing it for the first time and hence were curious to know everything and see everything and hence were trying to explore all possibilities to collect information. People say usually it takes anywhere between 2 to 5 hours depending upon your fitness level. With our experience, we can say even if your fitness levels are not a great levels, you can still manage to do it in four hours, as we did. Most of the path is covered with concrete roof, railings to support and place to sit during your walk. There are taps for drinking water and wash-rooms on the way at regular distance. We felt that given these facilities could have been made better. Though there is drinking water available, we prefer taking bottled water (that too known brand), though they will charge you more than the printed price, even they need chai-pani though they sell itJ themselves. There are a number of statues of lord in various incarnations thorough out the path way at regular distance (picture 4).
  

The first stage of climbing consists of about 2500 odd steps upto Galigopuram and about 2000 steps are steep and difficult. At the starting of the steps, there are lord foot impressions and a statue which shows the correct way of offering prayers (????) to the lord (picture 5).

We started our walk and on the way enjoyed nature’s beauty and the monuments depicting the history and took pictures as well. On the way we saw people smearing kumkum/haldi on each step, it is not customary for all, but some do it and some also burn camphor on all the steps (picture 6).

We were immersed in the beauty and were enjoying every bit of our walk, though we had our fair share of sweating and heavy breathing. On the way we met an old but “young” man. He was also from Bangalore and around 51 years of age and was one of those who burn camphor on each step. He said he works at Vidhan Soudha. He comes to Tirupati every year atleast 9-10 times and walks everytime. He started with us and was moving very fast. At his age, he was quite active and was very fast. There was no comparison at all between him and us. He was confident of completing the walk in three hours and said he will reach on top by 6:00 am. Well, he gave us few more tips and information and kept on moving as we were slow as compared to him. We wished him good luck and he reciprocated as well. And he just moved on (picture 7).

First few steps (100 or so) would not be difficult, once the steep incline starts, it would become difficult. But, don’t worry about it. Just keep reciting lords name. You will get lot of motivation from people around you, especially kids. After climbing about 2500 steps, we reached Galigopuram. As the name suggest, it means wind tunnel. There is a cool wind blowing at the tunnel/gate which takes away all your tiredness and you will feel refreshed. This is the place where you will get a token/ticket for sudarshana. They will take your biometric finger impression and photo and the ticket will be issued. It is very important to collect the ticket here as without the ticket you will not be allowed darshan under this category. Though I am sure you will not miss the name Galigopuram, but if you still forgot to see it the best way to identify the place is you have a long queue of shops after this entrance providing food, snacks etc. The TTD ticket counter is on the left once you enter the gate (picture 8).

 

Also, make sure you collect the tickets individually for each individual (as it is easy to move individually at your own pace). We took some rest after collecting the tickets and had a nice cup of tea at one of the shops. The food stalls serve hot idlies, dosas, bhajjis, tea and snacks. We saw many people having breakfast there and believe me it was very tempting. After taking a brief rest, we continued the journey.

The trek from Galigopuram forward is a plain walk on sloppy and flat terrain with few steps. This was very easy and a much needed relief from climbing the steep stairs. It’s said that this stretch gives you a break and helps you get energy and strength for your next climb. On the way, we found a Deer park. We took a break there and took few snaps to add to our album (picture 9).

Few kilometers from Galigopuram, you will see a security guard with a rubber seal. You need to get your ticket sealed here. It’s a confirmation that the individual has climbed the hill by foot. This stretch, as mentioned earlier, is very easy and without much strain. It is a beautiful stretch, with lot of greenery and nature to enjoy. There are many interesting places amidst the forest range. One of them is the tall statue of Hanuman (picture 10).

TTD has put information boards / placards on the animals that have been spotted in this forest range (picture 11).

 







The plain stretch continues till Moukala Mantapam. At the entrance of Moukala Mantapam, there is a provision of ambulance as well to meet any emergencies. This stretch was like our morning walk and passed off peacefully, chit-chatting and taking pictures of the nature (picture 12).

 The walk from this spot is once again steep and strenuous. This stretch has about 700 steps and is very steep (picture 13).

People say it is more difficult and painful, but we found it same as the first stretch of steep steps. Maybe with all the climb and walk till this point, you are tired and low on energy and probably that’s why people feel it’s more difficult. But, this shall pass through. It took us some time to complete this final stage of climbing and you can see the joy of completing the steps (picture 14).

After this point, the walk is very easy and it’s almost like you are walking in the plains. It took us 4 hours to complete the entire stretch. We reached the last step and saw people lighting camphors on the last step. Finally, the “climb of hills” on the foot was successfully over without any casualties. Once you reach the top, you come across luggage collection counter. You can collect your luggage after showing the deposit slip. Few steps further from this place, is the waiting hall, meant for people coming through the footpath. It’s called PAC II. After paying the deposit of Rs.350, you can take a locker to keep your luggage. They have provided washrooms and bath facilities (along with accommodation, waiting halls) free of cost to all the pilgrims coming thru footpath (though the hygiene conditions are not that great and the lockers are full of cockroaches). We took a locker, kept our luggage, left our mobiles and cameras and got ready and moved towards the darshan queue.

TTD provides free bus services to the pilgrims within Tirumala (picture 15).

Few meters away from the waiting hall towards left side, there many shopping stalls on the road and that’s where you will get the bus which will drop you very close to the entry point meant for people using walkway. This is close to Rs.300 darshan ticket entrance and parking. Make sure you do not carry any mobiles or cameras and deposit them in the safe place. We are still humans and are ignorant about such rules and carry the mobiles, and even TTD recognizes that and have a counter in the queue to meet the demands of such ignorant people. After checking the tickets, you will be allowed inside and would be moved to one of the waiting rooms/cages. We had to wait there for an hour, before we were allowed to move further. Kep in mind that between 10-12AM they have Kalyanostava everyday, so the pilgrims for Darshan are asked to wait in the cages during such time. Once you move further from the waiting room, you will pass thru laddu token counters. You need to pay Rs.20 for the receipt and you will get a receipt which will allow you to collect two laddus at the collection counter. Once we were released from the waiting room, it took us about 45 minutes to have darshan. Close to the main deity, the volunteers will keep pushing people to move out as there is huge rush and people want to spent more “little” time in front of the LORD. In case you need few more seconds, keep a Rs.10 note handy and give it to the one of the guards close to the main statue and hand it over to him. He will allow you “little” extra time and push people behind you and not you J. We had a wonderful darshan and did not even felt that we walked 9 kms and about 3700 steps. Once you come out after the darshan, you can again avail the free bus service and reach back to the waiting hall.

Though there are lots of eateries outside near the waiting hall, but the food was not good as we tasted in the morning and hence decided to have something at the foothill. But we enjoyed the prasadam laddu’s and some bananas to curb our hunger. You get buses right in front of the PAC II for foorhill. We took one of the buses and started our journey back to the starting point where we had parked our cars. For the first time we saw traffic jam enroute hills having long queue and there was two way vehicle movement on the same road, not sure what was the reason. But, we were tired and sleepy and hence were utilizing every minute in taking rest. Finally we reached our destination, Balaji Bus Stand, where we had parked our cars. Took some rest and started our journey back home. There is a road right next to the bus stand which is a bypass road to Bangalore heading towards Chittoor which saves you few kilometers and precious time passing through city traffic unless you want to go there,. It was a memorable journey for all three of us. Even though, we were almost on our toes right from the time we started from Marathalli, but we were able to complete the journey without any major casualties and pain. All thanks to lord Venketshwara. We plan to do it again whenever we get a chance next. There is a saying that your visit will be planned by only almighty and you will be called upon at his whims & fancies.



Here are some quick points to help you plan you travel. Remember all these points are suggested keeping in mind the starting point as Bangalore.

1. You can book your time slot by visitng the TTD office in Bangalore by paying Rs.50 per head. This usually needs to be done atleast 45 days in advance as otherwise you don’t get the preferred day and time.

2. If you are new and no information about the places, the best way is to avail the package tour of KSTDC or APTDC for Tirupati. The package usually covers your to and fro travel from Bangalore to Tirupati and from Tirupati to Tirumala. Decent accommodation to freshen up and for some rest. Tickets to darshan. It does not include food and other expenses.

3. If you like driving and cannot plan your travel in advance, you can drive to Tirupati. Bangalore to Tirumala is about 270 kms and the distance can be covered in 4 to 6 hours depending on your driving abilities and vehicle condition. The road is more or less good except for a small patch which is bad and some stretch which is single lane highway. You can have darshan using Rs.300 ticket option for which you don’t have to book in advance. You can get into the queue and pay the amount in the queue itself. There are few days when the queue is closed for few hours and you need to keep that in mind, otherwise you will end up waiting for few hours extra before you move in the queue.

4. You can walk thru the footpath from Alipiri in Tirupati. TTD provides lot of facilities for those walking to the hilltop and priority darshan as well. You can read the blog story to know more on this.

5. Free darshnam queue, though it is open for all it takes a very long time to have darshan and you may want to opt this only if you do not have any other option. But, the choice is yours.

6. There are separate queues for Senior Citizens (over 65 years of age) and medically challenged people. Remember that you need to carry a proof of your age or illness. This is right next to the main entrance.

7. There is a separate queue for parents with infants (less than one year). Lot of people doesn’t know about these queues. You can ask the policeman, volunteers or information booths for directions to the entrance to these queues.

8. If you are walking, walking barefoot is not mandatory. It is your choice and you can choose to walk with shoes or slippers.

9. While walking your body gets dehydrated and you need to ensure proper fluids at regular intervals. Remember, slow and steady wins the race. Take enough rest to give time to your body to adjust and respond to the changes.

Update As On 21st April 2017

- I was very impressed by the cleanliness maintained by TTD during my last visit on 31st March'17

- TTD has made three separate queues inside the main Sanctum extending it to outside as well, which has made darshan much better, not much pushing unlike earlier

- Extra laddu ticket counter operates only in the morning between 8-10 AM (Timings are not exact, but the counters are not open all day, opens only for few hours in the morning)

- You can book extra laddus for Rs.300 ticket while booking the tickets online, use that option if you want extra laddus. 

- Usually they allow entry in the queue one hour before the actual allotted time, therefore do check at the entry point

- There is enough parking and hence park only in the designated area

- There is specified time to drive from Alipiri to Thirumala and back from Thirumala to Alipiri, make sure to adhere to it. If you drive before the specified time, be ready to pay fine. So might as well enjoy the nature and drive slowly.

Darshan for Senior Citizens/Medically Unfit/Differently-abled Persons

- Reporting time is 8 AM, there after different slots

- The timings are 10 AM to 3 PM

- Total Person allowed in a day - approx. 700 (approximate numbers, exact numbers not known)

- One helper is allowed depending on age or physical condition

- Senior Citizen age should be above 65 years

- Free breakfast and milk is provided (not confirmed, mentioned by someone)

- Darshan is free of cost

- Exclusive slots, no push

- 4 Laddus for Rs. 70 (not confirmed, but mentioned by someone)

- Repeat service can be availed after 3 months

I am fortunate to have multiple darshans every year, year after year and have had darshans in various categories. I have gathered information and shared with everyone on this blog hoping that it will help you plan your trip. If you still have any questions unanswered, do leave a comment and I will be glad to help you.