Tirumala Tourist Spots: Akash Ganga

Origin of Akasha Ganga: A great Vaishnava Saint Peria Tirumalai Nambi (973 AD) was performing services to Lord Venkateswara by bringing water from Papavinasam Falls for the daily morning puja of the Lord. Even during his advanced age the Saint was performing this service.The Lord took mercy on him and appeared in the form of a fowler and stood before him begging him for water to quench his thirst.The Saint refused to give him the water as the water was required to be offered to the Lords feet during puja.The fowler shot an arrow at the pot making a hole and drank the water.Tirumalai Nambi felt sad at this act of the fowler and started going back to Papavinasanam for bringing water.The fowler told him not to worry and immediately shot an arrow at a spot in the Anjanadri hills and sacred water gushed out.The fowler then appeared to the Saint as Lord Venkateswara and told him to draw water hereafter from this new water fall which is much nearer to the temple and named it Akasha Ganga.

The gushing waters of Akashganga are cool and refreshing. A wash and bath in this water has therapeutic effects.We drank copious quantity of this water and felt a new energy coursing through our veins.

Tirumala Tourist Spots - Sri Vari Padam and Chakra Teertham

Other places of tourist interest in Tirumala are:

Srivari Padam:Just about 5 kms from the main temple of Lord Venkateshwara/Balaji in Tirumala is Srivari Paadam. .Presently there are no bus services to the places and can be accessed with the help of private vehicles or jeeps for hire. It is believed that the Lord descended on the earth at this place and decided on the place where the temple is presently situated. The Lord's feet are worshiped at this point on the hill.

 Chakra Theertham is also a famous pond in Tirumala, which is located next to Silathoranam.This place houses a Swayambu Lingam. It is believed that when Lord Brahma observed grief at this site, Lord Vishnu plunged his Sudarshana Chakra for cleansing it.The Sudarshana Chakra then fell into a place, which later came to be known as Chakra Theertham. This pond is known for cleanse bathers of sins and lead them to the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu. 

View of Tirumala hills from Sri Vari Padam @ 5 Kms from Main Temple

Sri Vari Padam-The Lords feet are worshiped here

Sri Chakra Teertham located near Silathoranam - You have to walk through a steep gradient and descend to a depth of around 150-200 ft to be able to see this Teertham

Landscape near Chakra Teertham

Tirumala Tourist Spots - Silathoranam

This is a rare geological arch and the only one its kind in the whole of Asia.This is one of the rarest geological faults in our country and the age of the rock is estimated at 2500 million years and the age of the arch around 1500 million years.Two other such arches are known to exist in the world today: The Utah Arch in the USA and the arch cut through the del radian quartzite of U.K. Its length is 25 ft and height 10 ft. Devotees believe that Lord Venkateswara the presiding deity of this sacred hill appeared through this as Swayambhu and took his abode at the temple which is just a kilometer away. Hence the name Sila-Thoranam or idol-entrance. This place has been beautifully developed as a tourist spot with nice greenery gardens plants and trees. It is truly enchanting. Most pilgrims coming to Tirumala are unaware of these tourist spots.

The Wedding Trousseau & other Short Stories

The author of this book Ankita Sharma was kind enough to courier me a copy of this nice light paperback for my review and comments.I agree I took a little longer to read this beautiful little collection but then I read it quite slowly and langurously and with focus on every word line paragraph and page. If I have been given the  responsibility of reviewing a book I have to do a proper job of it and accord appropriate justice to the writer.

First thing I liked about the book is the attractive pink cover page and the eye catching title "The Wedding Trousseau" in rich burgundy color. The book is quite light around 130 pages and the fond size sufficient for a comfortable read.You can also hold the book with one hand between thumb and index finger and turn the pages effortlessly while  comfortably ensconced on your couch or bed.

Coming to the contents of the book itself I note all the stories are simple, easy to comprehend and are culled out of real life situations. The author has scripted the stories using simple uncomplicated words in smooth flowing language easy to comprehend yet has skilfully applied her vast imagination and creativity to produce stories of suspense, romance,adventure,success,disappointments,arrogance,humor and a range of other human emotions that people actually encounter in day to day life. The reader there immediately relates to the short stories and easily connects with some crucial real life happenings or dreams in his or her own life.

Overall an excellent effort at short story writing with vivid descriptions and vibrant imagery with entrancing situations ! The authors mix of reality and flights of fantasy are to be applauded and I would straightaway give a thumbsup to this book which is suitable for all ages to read.

I wish the author Ankita Sharma a grand success for this book and also for all her future writing endeavors !
If you wish to buy this book online please log onto:

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Tirumala Summit

After a comfortable leisurely drive with breathtaking views as we ascended the Tirumala hills we reached our destination in 28 minutes.We passed through another checkpost and the driver dropped us off near the temple and drove off to the parking lot. We had Rs.300/- darsan tickets - e-tickets booked in advance on the web.A long queue had already formed and we hurried along rapidly to join the serpentine queue line which was already a few hundred metres long.But the Q moved along rapidly and within an hour we were at the sanctum of Sri Venkatachalapathi. There was a bit of rush and some pushing and jostling at the sanctum entry. We spent only a fleeting few seconds worshiping the Lord before we were pressured and ushered out towards the exit. Thereafter we spent a while going around the sanctum collecting chandanam partaking tirtham and consuming divine "prasadam of thair sadam (curd rice).We were also completely awed by the sight of the magnificent Golden Vimanam. The entire experience took all of two hours.After exiting from the temple we moved towards the laddoo counters - there was an extra ordinary rush here and it took nearly one hour to collect our mandatory Tirupatu laddoos - 2 per Rs.300/- ticket.
We returned to the large concourse near the car park relaxed for a bit used the rest rooms called for our car and departed for lunch.We had vegetarian thali lunch at Mayura -an unpretentious restaurant serving simple uncomplicated lunch. We were famished and we ate well.

Enquiry counter & toilets

Large concourse in front of the Ram Bageecha guest house

Battery Buggies for transporting Senior Citizens

Lunch at Mayura

India's New Sporting Icons

India's latest sporting sensations - Sania Mirza and Saina Nehwal - young tough competitive and terrific champions. Both achieved World No.1 ranking in March 2015.They are not just sports icons. They are also soft demure sophisticated and charming. They could walk the ramp with as much consummate ease as they stride the courts demolishing opponents.One hunts in singles while the other hunts in a pair. Both have aggressive possessive go getter fathers! Both are Hyderabadis !And Sania and Saina are a fine example of an anagram !(Photos are from the web)

Sania Mirza attained ranking of world no.1 in Tennis Doubles. She won three major WTA doubles titles titles in a row teamed up with Swiss Miss Martina Hingis.

Saina Nehwal climbed to World No.1 in badminton. She has won several Super Series titles including the China Open where she beat fancied top ranked Chinese players in their own backyard.

Tirupati to Tirumala drive

Tirupati is the town located at the base of Tirumala or Seven Hills which is the abode of Lord Venkateswara or Venkatachalapathi or Balaji as he is known in North India. We left the TTD Guest House Vishnu Nivasam - Tirupati  at 6.00 am. We embarked in a Toyota Innova seven seater station wagon.In a short while we reached the Sapthagiri check post which is the entry point to the ghat road for Tirumala. Pilgrims are asked to disembark while the car undergoes a thorough check. Baggage undergoes screening and pilgrims subjected to body check. Vehicles have a pay a toll fee depending on the classification of the vehicle. The fee receipt is computer issued and reflects the Registration number of the vehicle and the time of departure. To avoid over speeding and rash driving vehicles are timed when they report to Tirumala check post. If they have clocked in before 28 minutes the drivers are penalized and the vehicle confiscated. Such a rule has a sobering effect on all drivers and they make sure that do not complete the 15 Kms ascent up the ghat road in less than 28 minutes. A most brilliant and innovative rule. The drive was cool comfortable and picturesque.  Once we reached Tirumala we drove straight to "Sarangi" restaurant for break fast of idli/vada/dosa and coffee.All picture credits to Samsung Galaxy Smartphone :)

Clicked at 6.am at Vishnu Nivasam before departure for Tirumala - wife and son in the middle flanked by my friend and his wife. Yours truly was clicking the picture.

Sunrise at Tirupati

Sapthagiri Checkpost

One must be careful to carry sufficient fuel in the tank

Massive well equipped and fully computerized check post

Toll Rates

View of Sapthagiri Hills from Checkpost

Breakfast point

Gandhi Ji in Tirumala

Saw this person fully covered in silver paint and standing still like a statue, while driving upto Sri Vari Padam in Tirumala. Very innovative but challenging way to earn his daily bread. He was standing on a pile of stones for a better elevation.Wonder what would have been Mahatma Gandhi's feelings had been alive to see this? I actually saluted the guy and he acknowledged with a nod of his head.

Indian Giant Squirrel at Tirumala

During our peregrinations at Tirumala we visited Sri Vari Padam and chanced upon a pair of Indian Giant Squirrels. I was very fortunate to have been in a position to click some pictures of this rare sighting. The squirrel also didn't mind me clicking and were languorously perched on the branches of a tree.

Vishnu Nivasam - Tirupati

From the Railway Station we walked across to Vishnu Nivasam a massive and magnificent TTD Guest House.It is possible to do e-booking of rooms here, provided you have already e-booked for darshan at Tirumala.However quota for e-booking of rooms is very limited hence we had to request a local person to come personally and do the booking. Vishnu Nivasam offers a choice of non-a/c room @ Rs.300, a/c room @ Rs.800 and deluxe rooms @ Rs.1500. We had opted for a/c room. The room is neat and clean provided with 2 beds with fresh linen,2 single sofas, a one ton split a/c,attached bathroom with a hot water geyser but no provision of towels,soap or shampoo/conditioner or TV. Drinking alcohol,smoking and consuming non-vegetarian food is strictly prohibited and their are sign boards all over the complex in every floor proclaiming this.
Since Tirupati is a high security risk zone, there is strict security check when you enter Vishnu Nivasam.Your baggage is screened and pilgrims are subjected to a body search.There is a huge expansive hall on the ground floor. On one side are the rooms booking and allotment counter. As and when rooms are vacated by pilgrims a sign board displays a room vacancy chart. Vacant rooms are allotted to those who are physically present and standing in queue.Generally you find there is a large influx of pilgrims coming into the complex in a continuous stream, many of them not needing a room, but only some shelter for a short period of time, before they proceed with their onward journey. The ground floor was teeming with such transit pilgrims and common toilets and bath areas are provided for their convenience.
There is also a canteen (Govindam) run by IRCTC on the ground floor whereas there is a TTD dining hall on the second floor providing free meals for pilgrims - morning afternoon and night. Apart from this free medical facility is provided to pilgrims who are sick or indisposed.There is a cloak room facility where you can deposit you baggage for safe keeping. They also provide an amazingly unbelievable facility for pilgrims proceeding uphill on foot. They collect your baggage at the complex and then deliver the same to you at Tirumala after a specified time.
The complex has 6 floors with 2 lifts operating throughout the day with pleasant faced and courteous lift men some of them physically challenged,performing their duties tirelessly.Each floor has close to 100 rooms and a total capacity of 600 rooms. Rooms are allotted for minimum two persons only. However there is no limitation on the number of persons staying in a room.Single persons will not be allotted a room though.Each floor has huge corridors which are frequently swept clean and maintained in sparkling condition.The corridors are designed in such a manner that they are well ventilated and receive plenty of natural lighting. Each floor is provided with fire extinguishers and sand buckets at strategic locations and also garbage bins for litter collection.
From our 6th floor corridor we had a vantage view point of the magnificent gopuram of the Govindaswamy Temple as well as the Lotus Tank. APRTC buses ply frequently from Tirupati to Tirumala and you have a bus leaving almost every 10 minutes or so. A one way ticket costs you Rs.45 adult/Rs.23 children while a return ticket costs Rs.82. You can board the bus right outside the entrance gate of this complex.
On the whole a very impressive complex with superb facilities for pilgrims - probably unparalleled anywhere else in India.

Complex entrance where baggage screening and security check take place

Another view of the classy and  magnificent complex

Pilgrims rest and relaxation area

IRCTC's Food Court

Sparkling well illuminated well maintained corridors

View of the Gopuram and water tank of Govindarajaswamy Temple

Bus Ready to depart fro Tirumala