Tirupati to Koothattukulam
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 Koothattukulam
Book online bus tickets to Koothattukulam By Green Tree Tours and Travels
Green Tree Tours and Travels takes you to the Koothattukulam is situated in the Muvattupuzha Taluk, towards the South East corner of Ernakulam District in Kerala, South India. It is a junction of three districts Ernakulam, Idukki and Kottayam, and its people follow a mixed culture of Ernakulam and Kottayam (predominantly the latter one). Koothattukulam covers an area of 2318.71 hectares, lies 17 km to the south of Muvattupuzha town and 38 km to the north of Kottayam town via the Main Central Road which passes through this village. Ernakulam is about 50 km Palai at 26 km and Thodupuzha 23 km from here.
Koothattukulam, which had once been a part of Kottayam District, has Palakuzha, Thirumarady, Veliyannur and Elanji as the neighbouring Panchayats. The annual income of this 'special grade panchayat' is about Rs. 20,00,000/-. Most people are engaged in agriculture, farming and trading. The main cash crops are rubber, paddy, coconut, areca nut, ginger, turmeric, 'kacholam' and pepper.
It is believed that originally this area had been ruled by the four Brahmin families of Athimannu, Kottanadu, Kattimuttam and Pariyaram. Today the Koothattukulam Grama Panchayat consists of the four distinct territories (locally known as 'karas') of Koothattukulam, Vadakara, Paittakulam and Kizhakombu and has a population of about 17,700.
There are interesting folklores connected with the current names of each of the territories. One of them relates to a lady who, while digging in an isolated hillock inadvertently hit the head of a sunken idol with her implement. Immediately, blood began to ooze out of the idol's head and on seeing this the terrified lady took to her heels. This shock and terror upset her balance of mind, driving her ultimately to madness and she spent the rest of her days wandering aimlessly ('koothady') from place to place. The place thus came to be called as 'Koothattakalam' which over a period of time became known as Koothattukulam. The spot where the idol's blood is believed to have spilt was called Chorakuzhy ('pool of blood').
Prior to the annexation of this area to his kingdom by the Marthandavarma Maharaja of Travancore, the land had been ruled by the kings of Vadakkumkoor. They had a weapons training centre at Oonakkur, and so, this place came to be known as 'payattukalam', which is the present-day Paittakkulam.It is believed that some members of the Keezhekkombil family who were experts in domesticating wild elephants came over from Elanji and settled over here, which is why the place came to be known as Kizhakombu.
In the beginning of the tenth century, a group of devotees from Vadakara in Malabar set out for the church at Kuravilangad, carrying with them a picture of Yohannan Mamdana. On their way to Kuravilangad, these people rested at a place near Paittakulam and on account of this, the area was subsequently known as Vadakara.
In his famous book 'Keralathile Sthalacharithrangal', the prominent historian and researcher V. V. K. Valath has pointed out that the cultural history of Koothattukulam dates back to the era of Buddhism and Jainism. Koothattukulam, thus, has an illustrious cultural history and the same is reflected in its very name, which suggests that this must have been a land of 'kooth' and 'aattam'. Looking at the forays made by current generation of this place into the arena of art and culture,such a guess is not too far off.
Even about 100 years back, establishments like a quasi-judicial court, hospital, sub-registrar's office, police station, post office, rest house (circuit house), tourist bungalow, Devaswam Board office and an excise inspectorate, all of which normally form part of a District HQs set up, had been established here.
From time immemorial, Koothattukulam has been a shining example of religious tolerance and comity. Hindus and Christians live here in complete harmony. Christian churches steeped in the cultural traditions of theBuddhist-Jainist era is a characteristic feature of this place. Though Christians form the majority of the population, there are a number of places of worship belonging to both the religions. The Mahadeva temple at Koothattukulam, the Onamkunnu Kavu, the Shiva temple at Arjunanmala, the Devi temple at Kizhakombu and the St. John's Syrian Jacobite Church at Vadakara are just a few of the places of worship dating back to several centuries. In addition, there is the Shirdisai temple, which is open to all communities, irrespective of any religious affiliations.
Green Tree Tours and Travels takes you to the Koothattukulam and makes the journey comfortable.