It’s a sun dappled afternoon, 1 pm on the clock, and with our darshan slated for 2 hrs. from now, that is, for 3 pm, we are well on time. The Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam (TTD) trust (responsible for administering the place and they do it efficiently!) managed state bus starts with a sudden jerk and a chorused cry of ‘Govinda Govinda’ erupts out of the window.
From the bus: On the way up to Tirumala from Tirupati
Slowly, the undulating curves open up as the hot winds begin to caress my face and the holy hills roll out against the vast backdrop of the clear blue horizons. The divine ascend over Tirumala to meet the Lord has begun. Which for the believers, also doubles up as the huge coiled serpent of the Master, Lord Vishnu better known as Lord Venkateshwara or Lord Balaji in this temple town of Tirumala-Tirupati.
Tirumala Hill views
Around 45 Minutes, a feast on the gorgeous views and a few power naps later, I find myself walking in the temple town of Tirumala, a typical religious site dotted with a row of shops selling all kinds of local knickknacks, touristy trinkets and other religious paraphernalia.
Religious paraphernalia sold in shops
outside the Venkateswara temple, Tirumala
Accompanying me in my walk are other devouts; all coming down from diverse regions and different cultures yet unified in their thoughts and feelings and purpose. An envelope exists here; and it packs in all. Somehow you know, that now, you are in the wrapping of something mysteriously divine, something that has been defined for centuries... Such that you feel a connect, and you feel happy to be a part of something beautiful.
Walking towards the Balaji temple
I stand in the sprawling complex of the Tirupati Balaji temple and pause. Far in the distance, sun kissed by the dazzling afternoon and canopied by the clear blue skies, stands the temple: The earthly abode of Lord Vishnu, His celestial home, "The Vaikunth".
They say that to come here, in Tirupati Balaji's abode, you need His call...
Since how many years have I been waiting for this call? Since when?
For someone who has loved numbers all her life, surprisingly for her, this time, the numbers fail. But does she even care? What matters is the present. Now. She knows she is blessed, now that she stands here.
Shree Venkateswara Balaji Temple complex from a distance
In front of me and overlooking the temple, are 3 men, bald headed, sitting down with their backs against me, eyes closed and hands folded.
And then, there are so many more... Men, women and children – all ages, sizes and personalities – sitting, moving, standing, resting, coming, going.
In the main temple complex: A kaleidoscope of devotees
Now drenched in a sensory overload of fusing devotion and a celebratory focused joy that perhaps I have never seen or experienced before, I walk further. With the darshan ticket in my hand and cutting through the milling pilgrim crowds, I look out for my darshan queue – that of ‘Rs. 50’.
The Rs. 50 darshan queue: My way to His House
Here come the warnings: First from the temple authorities: Electronic items and leather bags are not allowed inside the temple. Second from the local interaction: The queues are huge, and it might take anywhere around 5 hours to reach the sanctum.
No electronic items allowed inside
First warning checked, the second warning does raise some concerns, only to be soon washed off by a voice inside me.
It’s a meeting with the Lord and whoever expected it to be easy?
I tuck in.
Around 4 hrs and room after room after room later... Finally... Suddenly, a fresh gust of air sweeps through. Breathing in the open air of the main temple compound, the anxiety increases and so does my anticipation of my meeting with the Lord. The Lord is just a few minutes away.
And then, in the midst of all the pushes, I arrive. We all do. Here, emotions reel, ever ready to erupt. In a giddy frenzy to see the Lord, physical boundaries disappear. There are no lines of control. Lakhs of people move in a procession like a single body as they prepare themselves for ‘that’ moment. This is the moment they had been waiting for so long and now that it was here, they want to give all, take all.
The temple may have been established in the seventh century AD according to the stone inscriptions on the temple walls.
He, the self manifest Venkateshwara, glitters in a calm friendly demeanor, black in color, in the dimly lamp-lit sanctum: lifelike, real, ready to speak any moment. I have seen Him in guidebooks, in posters, pictures, on the TV but nothing prepared me for the real Him. Is He smiling? Perhaps. But, I cannot really ascertain as I have so many other things to do and so less time.
The lord of Seven Hills, Tirupati Balaji or Lord Shree Venkateswara:
Adorned with precious jewels and other rich embellishments
Immediately after my split glance, I close my eyes and bow my head; I want to seek His affection, ask for his wishes, offer my prayers... I want to seize every bit of this moment. After all, according to the Puranas (sacred Hindu texts), This is the God Himself who can make everything possible to attain for His devotees. But it is only a few seconds that I get and before I can gather, I am directed towards the door. Fair enough too. There are lakhs of others who are behind me wishing to do the same. So, my time is up.
A masterpiece of Dravidian architecture, the Tirumala shrine houses the deity of Shree Venkateswara which, according to history,
was discovered by a local Chieftain called Tondaman
in a huge anthill who later built a temple around it.
But, till the time I am there, there is no one to come between me and my maker. No, not even the impatient crowds. They all fade quietly in that moment. It’s a concert of faith and one that rates high in intensity; here, Lord Venkateshwara, Lord Balaji is the hero, we his fans. Everyone is in awe, everyone wants to get closer to Him. The air is charged and the atmosphere is ethereal. With each step taken, the ground beneath is lost and it gets difficult to breathe.
Yet, those in the queues with their hands folded and His name on their lips and all the chaos around them, pray, for they come with a sincere belief in their hearts. A belief that He will take away all their hurdles. A belief that He will fulfill all their wishes. A belief that He will guide them and keep them in His folds. It is a belief that is deep-rooted, definite, unshakable and unfathomable. It is a belief that has caused this place to cease as a temple, instead has made it so much more.
It is a belief that helps them, and me, to eventually meet our ‘Govinda’...
Govinda, Govinda!
-------- * -------- * -------- * -------- * --------
Travel Tips, Darshan queues, timings and fast facts:
1. The shrine is visited by over 70,000 pilgrims every day. So, you can well imagine the crowds and the time it might take you to reach the Lord. Might be an overwhelming sight at first but there is no need to panic. Trust me, in the end, it is well worth so much more!
2. You can travel from Tirupati to Tirumala by road or alternatively cover the same distance on foot; The God can be viewed throughout the day except for a few hours in the night. Daily
hundreds of people walk up the pristine hills of Tirumala, climbing over
3500 steps to the top covering a distance of about 9 kms. If, however, like me, you are travelling by road, nothing beats the state run buses. They ply with an amazing frequency (from 3 am to 11 pm at an interval of about 10/30 minutes) and charge very nominal rates.
Helpful link: http://www.tirumala.org/travel_tptm_main.htm
3. There are different darshan queues in the complex, the most popular choice being the 'Rs. 50' one which is our choice as well but the one queue that really caught my eye this time was this special queue for the infants, aged 1 years and below; it was nice to see God making it a bit easy for the infants and their parents! And there is more. There exists similar such queues for senior citizens as well.
4. For my accomodation recommendation: you may check this post - ISKCON temple in Tirupati
Other Temples to visit:
Tirupati-Tirumala is a temple town, with a variety of temples and shrines spread all around having some kind of importance attached to them. A few notable among them being the Govindarajaswamy Temple, Kodanda Ramaswamy Temple, Tiruchanur (Goddess Padmavathy), Kapila Theertham (Lord Shiva), Shri Padmavathi Amma Vari Temple, Shri Kalahasti Temple, etc. Since this trip of ours was short on time, unfortunately, we couldn't cover any of the above. Next time...and, hopefully soon.
