Best 10 Places To Visit Near Tirupati 

The main attraction of Tirupati is the Sri Venkateshwara Temple which is located at the hilltop of the Tirumala hills. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, it has a mesmerizing idol of the Lord, completely made out of pure gold and ornamented with a magnificent crown. It is made on the basis of Dravidian architecture. This temple claims to be one of the richest temple of the world. 

  

1. Sri Venkateswara Temple

Sri Venkateswara Temple

Sri Venkateswara Temple is one of the ancient and holy temples, which is located at the 7th peak of the Venkata Tirumala Hill. This temple is situated to the south of Sri Swami Pushkarini River and has been built in the traditional Dravidian architectural style. It measures 80 min width and 123 m in length.

Within its total area of around 2.2 acres, the temple houses an idol of Lord Venkateswara, which is about 8 ft in height. The idol stands under the gold gilded dome, which is known as Ananda Nilaya Divya Vimana. The eyes of this idol are covered with a tilak of camphor and are ornamented with some of the precious and semi-precious stones.

2. Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple

Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple

Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple is located in Tiruchanoor, which is about 5 km from the Tirumala Hills. The main deity of the temple is Goddess Padmavathi, who is believed to have married Lord Venkateswara. This temple was built during the reign of Thondaman Chakravarthy and it is believed that devotees should first visit this temple before offering prayers at Sri Venkateswara Temple.

Padmavathi was the daughter of Akasha Raja of Thondamandalam, who was found in a lotus, when he performed a great yagna. Since she was found in a lotus, she was named Padmavathi and was married to Lord Venkateswara. She is also called as Alamelu Manga, meaning an inexhaustible source of love and compassion.  

3. Sri Govindarajaswami Temple

                                                              Sri Govindarajaswami Temple

Sri Govindarajaswami Temple is an important shrine in Tirupati, which has traditional architectural style of Vaishnava sect. It is believed that the foundation stone of this temple was laid by Ramanuja in 1235. In addition to the Gopuram, there are two shrines inside this temple that are encircled with two outer walls.

The southernmost shrine houses the idol of Lord Parthasarathy, while the northern one has the idol of Lord Govindaraja. Devotees can also offer prayers at other sub shrines in the temple including Sri Ramanuja, Sri Kurath Alwar, Sri Kalyana Venkateswaraswami, Sri Andal and Sri Mudal Alwar. The temple complex also houses small shrines of Sri Salai Nachiyar Ammavari, Sri Manavala Mamuni, Sri Chakrathalwar, and Sri Vyasaraja Anjaneya Swamy.

This temple is also known for shrines of Sri Madhurakavi Alwar, Sri Vedantha Desikar and Sri Thirumangai Alwar.

4. ISKCON Tirupati

 ISKCON temples in southern India

Sri Sri Radha Govinda temple in Tirupati, established under ISKCON, is one of the largest ISKCON temples in southern India. 

As in the case of all the other ISKCON temples, ISKCON Tirupati aims at spreading the science of Krishna consciousness with the aid of Bhagavad Gita and organises various activities where one can either participate or observe, thereby developing their Vedic knowledge.

This shrine is also dedicated to Lord Krishna and his beloved Sakhi, Sri Radha. The array of beautifully adorned deities includes that of Sri Radha Govinda and their Ashta Sakhis, Sri Narsimha, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupad.

The best time to visit the temple is during festivals like Sri Krishnashtami, Guru Purnima, Sri Rama Navami, Narsimha Chaturdasi, and Holi. These festivals are celebrated with gaiety and the whole family can take part in the songs and dances.

The temple undertakes a project called Goseva in which it protects cows. The temple also provides free food to at least 1000 devotees every day. 

This tranquil temple is situated in the city and autos and buses are easily available.

Tirupati being a temple town, there are numerous temples in the vicinity, the main temple being the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple which can be visited. 

5. Deer Park

                                                                       Deer Park in Tirupati

Deer Park is located towards the suburbs of the main city of Kandaleru, which is known for having large number of animals and scenic landscapes. The most common animal that can be spotted in the park is deer, which is very friendly with the visitors. This park can be easily visited on the way to Tirupati  and is also known for varied bird species.

Presently, this park is managed by the Tirupati Devasthanam authorities and also houses a special children's park.

6. Sri Kapileswaraswami Temple

                                                    Sri Kapileswaraswami Temple

SriKapileswaraswami Temple is the sole Lord Shiva shrine in Tirumala, which is located approximately 3 km north of Tirupati. The famous festivals celebrated in the temple are Brahmotsavam, Annabhishekam, Maha Shivarathri and Vinayaka Chaturthi. Kapila Theertham and Alwar Theertham are also located in the same temple complex.

The temple complex also houses shrines of Sri Venugopalaswamy, Sri Vinayakaswamy and Sri Lakshminarayanaswamy.

7. Sri Varahaswamy Temple

                                              Sri Varahaswamy Temple

Sri Varahaswamy Temple is located on the banks of Pushkarini River, which faces the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu in his Varaha incarnation. Varaha is believed to be the guardian of the Tirumala Hill and Lord Venkateswara took his permission to stay at this hill.

It is customary to offer prayers to Lord Varaha before worshipping at Sri Venkateswara Temple. Devotees also offer Naivedyam at this shrine before moving to the main temple at Tirumala. Lord Varahaswamy can be worshipped in three main ways of Yajna Varaha, Adi Varaha and Pralaya Varaha.

8. Sri Kodandaramaswami Temple

                                               Sri Kodandaramaswami Temple

Sri KodandaramaswamiTemple is a 10th century temple, which was built by Chola kings. This temple is dedicated to Lord Rama and contains idols of Sita and Lakshman along with the main deity. The construction of this shrine was started by Narasimha Raja Mudaliar. In its style, this temple displays an influence of the Vijayanagar style of architecture. The walls of this temple are decorated using Sinhalata gables along with other architectural styles.

9. Sila thoranam

                                                                   Silathoranam

Sila thoranam is a natural rock formation in Tirumala, which is situated near the Chakra Theertham. This rock formation holds an archaeological importance and resembles the hood of a serpent, a discus and a conch. Local inhabitants also believe that this rock is dedicated to the idol of Lord Venkateswara. It actually dates back millions of years and is generally categorised as a pre-Cambrian rock formation.

This site is equivalent to two other sites in the world, including the Rainbow Arch Bridge of Utah in the USA and the other cutting through the headland of the Dalradian Quartzite in UK. It was found accidentally while geologists were digging a geological fault on the hills of Tirumala. Several geologists believe that this rock might have been carved out of quartzite, whereas others believe that it has been formed due to the wave action from oceanic transgression.

Some geologists also believe that this rock formation is a result of climatic change and corrosion in the region. Presently, it is a national monument, which is preserved by the state government.

10. Swami Pushkarini Lake

                                                               Swami Pushkarini Lake

SwamiPushkarini Lake is situated within the main premises of Sri Venkateswara Temple that has religious significance. This is also considered to be the holy lake of Vaikuntha, where Lord Vishnu used to take bath with his wife. Garuda is believed to have brought the theertha and water at this site. The holy water tank at this place is associated with cleansing all the evils and sins of the people.