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.
About Edapally
Book online bus tickets to Edapally By Green Tree Tours and Travels
Green Tree Tours and Travels takes you to the Edappally is a fast-growing suburb of Kochi/Cochin City in Kerala state, southern India. Edappally was the seating place of the Edapally Rajas, the ruler of this place. Edapally Palace also has the famous Edapally Ganapathy Temple. The town is famous for St. George's Church which is quite old and is a pilgrimage centre. Perandoor Temple, Thrickovil Sree Krishna Temple, Puthukkalavattam Mahadeva Temple, Punnakkal Bhagavathy Temple, Ponekkara Bhagavathy Temple are important places of worship. Elamakkara Lourdh Matha church is the other noticed worship place, which has a history over 100 years. Edappally mosque (more than 1000 years old) and many other old buildings are preserved in Edappally.
It is the home town of the famous Malayalam poets Changampuzha Krishna Pillai and Edappally Green Tree Tours and Travels Raghavan Pillai. One of the famous Malayalam poet Mr. Balachandran Chullikkad and his wife Vijayalakshmi, herself a great poetess, are staying here. The first meeting of Samastha Kerala Sahithya Parishath (the organisation of Malayalam writers) was organised here by the then Edappally Raja (Krishna Raja), with the support of different Malayalam writers such as K.P. Karunakara Menon, Changampuzha Krishna Pillai, etc.
Two national highways NH 47 and NH 17 join the bypass jn at Edappally. At Edappally, The National Highway NH-17 begins and continues up to Panvel, Maharashtra, in India. Edapally is also connected by rail, and there is a railway station at Edappally.
One of the best hospitals in Kerala named Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences is situated in Edappally. Edappally was a Panchayath before getting included in Cochin Corporation. This is a place which comes partly under Thripunithura legislative constituency and partly under Ernakulam constituency. The Cochin bypass connects Edappaly with Aroor which is an industrial town near the city of Cochin. Bypass Junction in Edappally is the north end of the Cochin bypass which extends up to Aroor. This entire root is evolving into a major business hub with big-time stores and five-star hotels. Outlets of Mercedes, Hyundai, Maruty, etc. are situated on the road. The world-famous museum of Kerala History and sculpture is also located in Edappally (outside the city limits). Thrikkakkara temple is only 2 kilometers away from Edappally Toll junction.
Changampuzha Smaraka Library and Edappally North Friends' Library are situated in Edappally. Edappally Green Tree Tours and Travels North Friends' Library celebrated Golden Jubilee in 2007 January. Education and Career Guidance Reference Library started as part of its golden jubilee celebration. Special mention has to be made about two places of worship. The Mahaganapathy Temple is one of the most important Ganapathy temples in the state visited by devotees from all over the state. The temple is referred to in the Aithihya Mala of Kottarathil sankunni. Visiting time in the morning is between 5.00 and 7.30 AM. The members of Edappally royal family worship after these hours, since it is their family temple. During the evening time also the temple is kept opened. Ganpathy Homam and Unniyappam are the important offerings. Unniyappam is booked months in advance. Breaking coconut before beginning a project will see that it is completed successfully. The other important place of worship is the St. George Ferone Church of Edappally. The St. George the dragon slayer is the presiding saint. It is under the control of the Syrian Catholic Dioces of Ernakulam. Praying at the shrine on the way on any journey is considered a necessity even by people of other faiths. The offering is simply candles and coins into the bhandaram. A new colossal church is nearing completion. Edappally is now famous for Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram, which organizes various cultural and academic programmes, which include Kathakali, dramas, music, children's programmes, Akshara slokas, various cultural meetings, discussions, etc. A Senior Citizens' Forum is well functioning attached to this Kendram. All these functions are organized at Changampuzha Park, wherein the Office of the Kendram exists.
Another famous institution at Edappally is 'Changampuzha Smaraka Grandhasala', a library established in 1950 as a memorial to the famous Malayalam poet Changampuzha Krishna Pillai, who is the famous son of Edappally (Changampuzha's tomb is situated here, which attracts several lovers of Malayalam language). This library is an outstanding one with a collection of about thirty thousand titles and a reference section (approved as the Kanayannur Taluk Reference Library). This has an Art wing offering training in various types of dance items, music (vocal and instrumental), painting and drawing, etc. About six hundred students undergo training in these. Beside that there is also the M N F Gallery of Paintings and Sculptures.
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre is situated very near to Edappally.
You can a visit to Green Tree Tours and Travels for Edapally