About Pandalam
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Pandalam Green Tree Tours and Travels is one among the fastest growing towns in Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India. It is considered as a holy town. Pandalam is also a well known educational and health care center in central Travancore.Pandalam hosts a lot of educational institutions ranging from reputed schools to Post Graduate, Training, Ayurveda and Engineering Colleges.
Pandalam Green Tree Tours and Travels is a holy town near Sabrimala which is the birth place of Lord Ayappa in human form. Named after the Pandalam Royal Family, the city has the famous Valiyakoikal Temple which is located on the banks of river Achenkovil. A few days before the Makar Sankranti, the ornaments of Lord Ayappa is taken in a procession from Pandalam to Sabrimala.
Location of Pandalam
1) Nearest Airport to Pandalam
Trivandrum Airport is 92km away from Pandalam.
2) Nearest Railway Station
Chengannur Railway Station which is 25 km away.
3) Best Time to Visit
The best time to take a tour to Pandalam is from March to August. The cool winds of Pandalam will refresh your senses. However you can also visit Pandalam during November to January and attend the Sabrimala Temple Festivals.
Tourist Attraction in Pandalam.
A tour to Pandalam is not all; tourists can visit the other tourist attractions of the place. But the major event of this place remains the Sabrimala Temple Festivals in Pandalam.
1) Sabrimala Temple Festivals
Devotees from all over during November and January start a procession and assemble in Sabrimala to celebrate the Sabrimala Temple Festival. Held during Makar Sankranti and November, the Sabrimala Temple Festival is considered to be an important event.
2) Aazhipooja
The Aazhipooja celebrates the ascetic frame of mind of the pilgrims who undergo through a process of renunciation before they embark on a journey to the Sabrimala Temple. It is observed on the day before setting out on a holy journey.
3) Petta Thullal
The Petta Thullal is a colorful event that occurs during the holy journey in Erumeli. Here the devotees paint themselves with stripes of ashes, colors and carbon and don an unique look with arrows, clubs, fruits and bundles on their head. The chanting and the drumbeats add to the color of the ceremony.
4) Pandalam Palace
It was in this palace Lord Ayappa was born. The Thiruvabharanam of the Ayappa Temple is kept in this palace.
5) Valiyakoikal Temple
This is a famous temple in Pandalam modeled in form Sabrimala Temple. The journey or processions to the Sabrimala Temple starts from this place during the festivals.
A tour to Pandalam is incomplete without these tourist attractions and these are a must watch.
Pandalam is one of the tourists place in kerala and also beautiful place which can make journey through Green Tree Tours and Travels
About Tirupati
The city of Tirupati is one of the biggest pilgrimage centers of the world. Positioned at the foothills of the Eastern Ghats in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, Tirupati is most famous for the VenkateswaraSwamy temple located in the Tirumala Hills. 50,000 - 100,000 pilgrims visit Tirupati every day, traveling from far and wide to offer Darshan to Lord Venkateswara. The number of Darshan seekers who take the tour in a single day can skyrocket to 500,000 on special occasions, making Tirupati the busiest religious destination in the whole world. The Venkateswara Temple is found atop the last of the seven Tirumala hills near Tirupati, at an elevation of 853 meters. Other major centers for the pilgrim’s tour include the Govindaraja shrine within Tirupati and the Padmavati shrine in Tiruchanur, about 5 kilometers south of Tirupati.
Historically, the Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala is claimed to have been an established center of Vaishnavism by 5th century A.D. The town of Tirupati formed itself much later around the foundation of the Govindarajaswami Temple, which was established by the Vaishnavaite teacher, Ramanuja, during the twelfth century. Prior to this the only settlement in the area was a tiny village named Kapilatirtham, a short distance to the north of modern-day Tirupati. ‘Ramanujapuram,’ expanded a great deal during Vijayanagara times, gradually forming a big township. Over successive centuries, several other shrines too sprouted up lending to Tirupati’shighly regarded sanctity. Today, with never less than 5,000 pilgrims offering Darshan to Lord Venkateswara, the temple has turned into one of the richest places of worship in the entire world, second only to SreePadmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala.
Entry and regular Darshan at the TirupatiVenkateswara Temple is free, however, those who choose to pay extra may join the express lane for a quick Darshan. Touring pilgrims may also buy quick Darshan tickets that are available at the Vaikuntam Queue Complex- a series of inter-linked hallways leading up to the main shrine where the BalajiDarshan takes place. The queue system regulates a minimum of 5,000 worshipers seeking Darshan at any given point and ensures orderly movement of pilgrims. The free Darshan is called ‘SarvaDarshan,’ translating into ‘darshan for all.’ This common Darshan is normally allotted between 18 and 20 hours daily and has different timings each day. The ‘SeegraDarshan’ ticket was introduced in 2009 to provide a quick and convenient Darshan for Pilgrims who are willing to pay extra. The cost of a SeegraDarshan ticket is Rs. 300 per pilgrim and can be made available as part of the package tour. On purchasing the SeegraDarshan ticket, pilgrims are allowed their Darshan directly. SeegraDarshan tickets are available at all times when the SarvaDarshan is open.
The DivyaDarshan is provided for those who make it to Tirumala by foot via the GaliGopuram or SrivariMettu, facilitating free Darshan, accommodation and food. The Sudarshan token, issued from various TTD-counters at Rs.50 was introduced to reduce waiting time by indicating a particular time when the pilgrim may enter the Vaikuntam Queue Complex. A Special Darshan is also available for the Physically Challenged, the Aged and infants, along with attendants, through a separate gate at the main temple entrance. E-Darshan counters are available in major cities from which bookings can be made 60 days in advance of the tour.
The seventh of the sacred hills (Tirumala) that houses the Venkateswara temple is known as Venkatachalam Hill and is the predominant part of all tours to Tirupati. It is located 12 kilometers northwest of Tirupati and is surrounded by hills of higher altitude. At the final leg of the tour to Tirumala are five different routes, two from Tirupati- a pathway built of steps and a motorway, a third from Chandragiri, a fourth from Mamandur Railway station and a fifth via Nagapatla.