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తిరుపతి Tirupati
—  city  —
తిరుపతి Tirupati Location of తిరుపతి Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh
Coordinates	13°39′N 79°25′E / 13.65°N 79.42°E / 13.65; 79.42Coordinates: 13°39′N 79°25′E / 13.65°N 79.42°E / 13.65; 79.42
Country	India
Region	Rayalaseema
State	Andhra Pradesh
District(s)	Chittoor
MLA	Tirupati urban and Renigunta - Konidala Chiranjeevi Tirupati rural and Chandragiri - Galla Aruna kumari
Population	287,035 Metro population = 500,000 population_total_cite =[1] (2011[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Metro • Elevation	• 750 square kilometres (290 sq mi) • 161 metres (528 ft)
Codes • Telephone • +0877 • Vehicle • AP-03

Tirupati (తిరుపతి) is a major pilgrimage and Cultural City located in the Chittoor district.It is the largest city in Rayalaseema region. It is located at the foothills of the Eastern Ghats at a distance of 550 kilometres (340 mi) south of Hyderabad, the capital of the state, 250 kilometres (160 mi) east of Bangalore, and 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of Chennai.

Tirupati is famous for the richest temple Venkateswara Swamy temple dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, located about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north west of Tirupati in the Tirumala hills at an elevation of 853 metres (2,799 ft). One of the most important pilgrimage centers in the World, the temple draws millions of pilgrims and is the busiest pilgrimage centre in the world.^[2] Tirupati City itself has several temples and is famous for its red wooden toys, copper and brass idols. Also, the city is a major economical and educational hub in the southern region of the state.

History[link]

The Tirumala hills are the world's second oldest rock mountains.

There is no clear history on the origin of the temple of Lord Venkateshwara, but it was maintained and upgraded by various kingdoms. These include the Pallava Kingdom around 9th Century AD, Chola Kingdom around 10th century AD and the latest one being Vijayanagara Empire around 14th to 15th century AD. It was during the rule of Vijayanagara Empire that the temple received increased contributions.^[3]

The site was an established center of Vaishnavism around 5th century A.D. during which Tirupati was praised by Alvars (Vaishnava saints); belonging to the Bhakti movement in Dravidian Land, who were known for their poems and literary works on Lord Venkateswara. Tirupati's significance in Southern Vaishnava tradition is next only to Srirangam, and the temple rites were formalized by the Vaishnavite saint Ramanujacharya himself, in the 11th century AD.^[4][5]

Tirupati survived the Muslim invasions not only from South India but also from britisher a two times, unlike other temples such as the Meenakshi temple in Madurai and Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam. It is believed that during the invasions the deity of Sriranganatha from Srirangam was brought to Tirupati for safekeeping. To commemorate this event, a hall in Tirupati is still known as the Ranganatha Mandapam.

Tirupathi is the one of the most protected shrines in the world.

The Madras legislature passed a special act in 1933 whereby the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) committee was invested with powers of administration and control through a commissioner appointed by the Government of Madras. A Ryot Advisory Council was formed for the management of the estates of the TTD, and was assisted by a Religious Advisory Council with regard to religious matters.^{[citation needed]}

The first establishment of the City was near Kotturu, today's K.T. Road area. Later it was shifted near the temple of Govindaraja Swamy with the temple as the center of the city. It is today's railway station area. Now the city is expanded to nearby areas.

Climate[link]

Tirupati has extremes of climate. Monsoon remains moderate and summer experiences temperatures ranging from 42 to 45 degrees Celsius (107.6 F & 113 F). In winter the minimum temperatures will be between 10 and 18 degrees Celsius ( 50 F to 64.4 F). Usually summer lasts from March to June, with the advent of rainy season in July, followed by winter which lasts till the end of February.

Demographics[link]

Population[link]

As per provisional reports of Census India, population of Tirupati in 2011 is 287,035; of which male and female are 145,977 and 141,058 respectively. The sex ratio of Tirupati city is 966 per 1000 males. In education section, total literates in Tirupati city are 229,730 of which 123,449 are males while 106,281 are females. Average literacy rate of Tirupati city is 87.55 percent of which male and female literacy was 92.74 and 82.21 percent. Total children (0-6) in Tirupati city are 24,643 as per figure from Census India report on 2011. There were 12,869 boys while 11,774 are girls. Child sex ratio of girls is 915 per 1000 boys. Tirupati city is governed by Municipal Corporation which comes under Tirupati Urban Agglomeration. Although Tirupati city has population of 287,035; its urban / metropolitan population is 459,985 of which 231,456 are males and 228,529 are females.^[1]

Language and culture[link]

Telugu is the official language of the City. The signboards in the City and in Tirumala are trilingual in Telugu, Tamil and English.

Most of the temples in Tirupati have been built using Dravidian architecture.^{[citation needed]} Hinduism is the major religion here.^{[citation needed]} Dhoti (Pancha/Veshti) and Sari are traditional attire of people here. Although this place is large and roomy, the people leave many lands for auspicious reasons. Dresses like churidar and pants-shirt have become common in recent decades. Practices of tonsure and using tilaka are very popular among devotees of Lord Venkateswara. Songs and prayers of Lord Venkateswara are generally heard all over the town. Near the bus stand, stands the statue of Bharatharatna M.S. Subbulakshmi, a legendary Carnatic singer.

Economy[link]

Tirupati is a major Municipal Corporation in Andhra Pradesh. Although Chittoor is the headquarters of the district, much of the business activities and major government establishments, and operations take place only in Tirupati.^{[citation needed]} With improved infrastructure and due to various efforts by the state government, Tirupati is well turning into a business hub of southern Andhra Pradesh. Notable large and medium scale industries along side a lot of small scale industries that call Tirupati as their home base, include the government owned Railway Carriage Repair Shop, Amararaja Power Systems, Lanco Industries.^{[citation needed]} There are plans to improve the infrastructure to set up IT service based organizations in Tirupati. Financial institutions like HDFC have set their back office operations in Tirupati.^[7] Tirupati is becoming the education hub for the nearby areas because of the strong presence of Educational Institutions and Universities. Being a pilgrimage center, the floating population is a major source of income. Considerable revenue is generated by travel sector. Strong expatriate/town's non-residents' money inflow and an emerging industrial scenario triggered a major real estate boom in the city in recent years and marched steadily, until before 2008–2009 Global Recession.

Transport[link]

Road[link]

Tirupati central bus terminal (Srihari bus station) is one of the largest in the state.

Tirupati has direct bus services to nearby towns and major cities across South India.There are 4 bus stands in the city. There is a dedicated Bus Stand at Alipiri for buses (once in every 2 minutes) to Tirumala. The city has a well planned network of roads with synchronized traffic control system.

A number of buses are operated by the government-run APSRTC and private operators connecting Tirupati to other major cities and towns such as Chennai, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Vizag and Bangalore.

Railway[link]

Tirupati has a major railway station which is well equipped and has ten platforms but only five are used; and presently undergoing modernization, including three escalators. There are many trains travelling across the country with Tirupati as the starting point. Tirupati is well connected to major cities across India, esp. Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. It is connected by Chennai sub-urban railways in North-western line.

Renigunta junction which lies on the busy Chennai and Mumbai rail route, is just 10 minutes drive from Tirupati city. From here one can catch major trains to almost every part of the Country. Himsagar Express, Kerala Express, Navyug Express, Ten Jammu Express are some of the trains to New Delhi(Via. Nagpur, Itarsi, Bhopal) that passes through Renigunta. Gurudev Express to Kolkatta (Howrah Junction).

Gudur junction also serves the needs of Pilgrims. Gudur Junction is one of the major junction in south India, is 84 km from Tirupati.

However, the city lacks direct connectivity with important and religious places such as Indore, Ujjain, Jabalpur, Jaipur and Dehradun.

Air[link]

Tirupati Airport has been declared as an International airport but is yet to operate direct international flights. Currently the airport has flights to Hyderabad, Vizag, New Delhi via Hyderabad. Additionally the airport offers flights to Coimbatore, Kolkata, Mumbai via Hyderabad. International Cargo currently connects to Dubai. The airport is located 15 km from the city centre. Closest international airport is located in Chennai, (Chennai International Airport) which is 130 km (81 mi) from Tirupati. The Tirupati airport is to be upgraded to an International Airport and the upgrade process is underway. On 2 September 2010 PrimeMinister Laid the Foundation Stone for building new terminal of International airport.^[8]

Government and politics[link]

Tirupati is a major municipal corporation in the Andhra Pradesh state. It contributes a member in central parliament and a member in state legislature in Indian politics. Chinta Mohan is the current MP from Indian National Congress (INC) and Konidala Chiranjeevi is the MLA from Praja Rajyam Party (PRP). Chandragiri is a suburb accounting to one more seat for the state assembly. Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) was established long back to develop the city. It is involved in the construction of second fly-over in the city and extending all two lane roads to four lane. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) also contributes a maximum of funds for the development of the city. Major roads like the traffic-loaded Tirumala bypass and the rail underpass near the railway station was taken up by TTD along with TUDA.

Assembly constituency

MLC

• 1976 - P.S. Gurava reddy

Media[link]

Telugu newspapers – Andhra Bhoomi, Saakshi, Eenadu, Vaartha, Andhra Jyothi, Andhra Prabha, Andhra Voice and Prajashakthi and English newspapers – Deccan Chronicle, The Hindu, Indian Express are also available in the City. Most of the Telugu, Hindi and English television channels, Devotional channel SVBC and the local city cable are available.

Festivals[link]

Elephants Welcoming Lord Srinivasa

The town celebrates most Vaishnava festivals including Vaikunta Ekadasi, Rama Navami and Janmashtami with great splendor, while the Brahmotsavam celebrated every year during September is the most important festival in Tirumala when it receives millions of devotees over a short span of a week. Rathasapthami (Magha Shuddha Saptami) is another festival, celebrated during February, when Lord Venkateswara's idol is taken in a procession around the temple chariots.^[10]

Gangamma Jathra is also celebrated as a major local festival. The Goddess Gangamma is offered animal sacrifices and also pongal and other offerings by the devotees. She is considered the sister of Lord Govinda.^{[citation needed]}

Tourist attractions[link]

Religious sites[link]

KodhandaRamaSwamy Temple at Tirupathi

ISKCON Temple at Tirupati

The water fall on the way down the hill

There are many temples in Tirupati and Tirumala. Some of them are:

• Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu as Venkateswara (also known as Balaji and Srinivasa) attracts followers from a wide range of Hindu traditions.
• Alamelu Mangamma Shrine in Alamelumangapuram also called Thiruchanoor
• Padmavati Temple
• Govindaraja Swamy Temple
• Kodanda Rama Swamy Temple: Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are the presiding deities of the temple. Lord Anjaneya Swamy is seen near the foot of Lord Rama. The temple is in the heart of the city. There is also another temple dedicated to Lord Anjaneya Swamy opposite to Kodhanda Rama Swamy Temple. Prasadams are offered daily to pilgrims.
• Srinivasa Mangapuram:This temple is dedicated to Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy (married Venkateswara Swamy). According to the mythology, Venkateswara swamy, after getting married, stayed in this place for about six months and then walked to Tirumala.
• Kapila Theertham: This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati. There is a beautiful waterfall near the temple.
• ISKCON Lord Krishna Temple – The temple has its own style of architecture with the towers coloured in gold and white. The carvings of Lord Narasimha Swamy, Lord Varaha Swamy and Krishna Leela are marvelous. Glass painting works on the windows depicting Lord Krishna's playful acts and the ceilings decorated like Tanjore art reveals the colourful masterpiece in art work. Each pillar is decorated with ten avatars of Lord Vishnu. The temple inside the sanctum has Lord Krishna with beautifully dressed Gopis. There is a beautiful park surrounded with lot of flowers, ponds, fountains and with Krishna Leela idols. The temple is on the way to Tirumala Hills.
• Lord Shiva temple at Yogimallavaram, near to Tirupati is very old and is very famous.
• Hanuman temple at Tirumala is where Hanuman's mother Anjana did penance.
• Avanakshamma temple – 42 km from Tirupati
• Sri Venugopala Swamy Temple in Karvetinagaram, 40 km from Tirupati
• Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy Temple – Narayanavanam, 48 km from Tirupati
• Sri Prasanna Venkateswara Swamy Temple – Appalayagunta, 20 km from Tirupati
• Parasurameswara Temple – Gudimallam, 20 km from Tirupati. Though a small village, historically it is very important, because it has a beautiful Siva Temple which is popularly known as "the Parasurameswara Temple." The main importance of the temple lies in the Linga which is housed in the Garbhagriha of the temple. This is supposed to be the earliest Linga discovered so far and it has been assigned to the 2nd or 1st century BC. The name of the temple is mentioned as Parasurameswara Temple in the inscriptions.

There is also another small temple for Lord Vishnu. The place is on the foothills of Tirumala. Giant Nandikeshwara statue is seen at the entrance of the temple. There is a rock garden in Tirumala called Shilatoranam.

Other[link]

• Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park is the second of its kind in the Andhra Pradesh. It has many species of animals and plants which are being conserved. Nearly 10 to 15 tigers are present in this zoo.^{[citation needed]}
• Regional Science Center is a science center with a planetarium.

SV Zoological park is the Second largest zoo park in Asia. It has a Lion safari which has about 30 Lions.

Education[link]

Tirupati is a major educational hub in South India. It is home to several universities, including

• Sri Venkateswara University
• Sri Padmavati Mahila Viswavidyalayam (SPMVV) (one of two women's universities in India)
• Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth – Directorate of Distance Education
• Sri Venkateswara Vedic University
• Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University (SVVU)
• Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences University

Apart from these universities, it has state government and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam sponsored medical, pharmacy, agricultural colleges and also engineering colleges.

Around 22 engineering colleges and 5 pharmacy colleges exist in and around Tirupathi, including:

• Sri Venkateswara University College of Engineering (SVUCE)
• Sree Vidyaniketan Engineering College (SVEC) A. Rangempeta, 18 km from Tirupathi.
• Sree Institute of Technical Education (SHRE) Renigunata-Srikalahasthi Highway, Tirupati.
• Annamacharya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Tirupati
• Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering (SVCE), Karakambaadi Road, Tirupati.
• Seshachala Institute Of Engineering & Technology (Putoor – Tirupathi Main Road, SVS Nagar, Vadamalapeta, Tirupati), 15 km from Tirupathi.
• Seven Hills College of Pharmacy, Venkatramapuram, Tirupati
• Sri Padmavathi School of Pharmacy (SPSP), Thiruchanoor
• Vaishnavi Institute of Technology (VITT), Tanapalli.
• Vaishnavi Institute of Technology for Women (VITW), Kuntrapakkam Village; 10 km from Tirupathi
• Chadalawada venkatasubbaiah college of Engineering (CVCE), Renigunta road, chadalawada nagar, Tirupathi.

Tirupati also has several academic institutions offering degree programmes in Science, Medicine, Arts, Commerce and Agricultural Sciences. Some of these colleges have been established more than 50 years ago. Some of them are:

• S.V. Medical College
• Sri Venkateswara Arts College
• Sri Govindarajaswamy Arts College
• Sri Venkateswara Government Polytechnic
• Sri Venkateswara Oriental College
• Sri Venkateswara Agriculture College
• Emeralds Educational Institutions

The Dairy Technology Programme under SV Veterinary University offering B. Tech (Dairy Technology) degree since 1983 has been elevated during the year 2009 to College of Dairy Technology, first of its kind in Andhra Pradesh.

Sports and entertainment[link]

Sri Mahati Auditorium is a major auditorium owned & operated by TTD. Exclusive for Cultural & Spiritual activities. There are several parks in Tirupati, of which Tirupati Municipal Park is notable, abutting the Kapilatheertham by-pass road in Tirupati. This park is ideal for an evening stroll. Dancing musical fountains here are a special attraction.

The Shilparamam (Urban Haat) is located on the Tirupati-Tiruchanur road. This set up jointly by the Central and the State Tourism Departments. It houses a multipurpose auditorium with 600 seating capacity. Also has a boat club. Every Saturday and Sunday cultural programmes are conducted in the evenings.

Tirupati has nearly 25 cinema halls including a Multiplex, which screen Telugu, English and Hindi movies. Cricket is the most watched and played sport in Tirupati.^{[citation needed]} Volleyball is a major sport mainly in the rural areas surrounding the town.^{[citation needed]} Tennis, Volleyball, and Badminton are played in colleges. Chess is also quite popular in Tirupati. The sports complex in S.V.Arts college campus is another special attraction.

See also[link]

• Srinivasa Mangapuram
• Srikalahasti
• Kanipakam
• Tiruchanur
• Natural Arch, Tirumala hills

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tirupati

• Tirupati at the Open Directory Project
• Tirupati travel guide from Wikitravel
• http://wikimapia.org/979738/Chandragiri-Fort-Once-a-capital-city-of-Vijayanagara-Empire
• http://www.tirupatibooking.com

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v t e Hindu holy cities India Char Dham Badrinath (Badrinath Temple) Dwarka (Dwarakadheesh Temple) Puri (Jagannath Temple) Rameswaram (Ramanathaswamy Temple) Ashtavinayaka Morgaon (Moreshwar) Lenyadri (Girijatmaj) Pali (Ballaleshwar) Mahad (Varadvinayak) Ranjangaon (Mahaganapati) Siddhatek (Siddhivinayak) Ozar (Vighneswar) Theur (Chintamani) Jyotirlinga Prabhas Patan (Somnath) Srisailam (Mallikājuna) Ujjain (Mahakaleshwar) Omkareshwar (Omkareshwar) Deogarh District (Vaidyanath) Bhorgiri (Bhimashankar) Rameswaram(Ramanathaswamy) Parali-Vaijanath(Nageshvara) Varanasi (Kashi Vishvanath) Trimbakeshwar (Trimbakeshwar) Kedarnath (Kedarnath) Daulatabad (near Grishneshwar) Others Allahabad Ambaji Arunachala Ayodhya Bhadrachalam Chidambaram Chitrakuta Dakor Deoghar Dharmasthala Gangotri Gaya Gokul Guruvayur Haridwar Jageshwar Kalahasti Kalighat Kanchipuram Kollur Madurai Mathura Nashik Nathdwara Pushkar Rishikesh Sabarimala Somnath Sringeri Srirangam Tirupati Tripunithura Udupi Vrindavan Yamunotri Nepal Kathmandu Janakpurdham Sri Lanka Kataragama

Tirupati may refer to:

• Tirupati Temple - Temple of Lord Venkateshwara
• Tirupati (city) - a pilgrimage city located in the vicinity of the Tirupati Temple
• Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams - Trust of Tirupati Temple
• Thirupathi - a 2006 Kannada film
• Thirupathi - a 2006 Tamil film

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