1. Padmavati Temple

The Inspiring one day tour to Tirupati from Chennai takes you to the ancient Padmavathi temple. It is said that before worshipping Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala, devotees should visit this temple located in Tiruchanoor at a short distance of 5km from Tirupati. This Sacred temple constructed by Thondaman Chakravarthy, the elder brother of Goddess Padmavati has a temple tank called the Padmasarovar. Goddess Padmavathi is the presiding deity who is believed to have appeared on a thousand petal golden lotus.

As such the temple is also renowned as Alamelu Mangapuram Temple, wherein Alar refers to Lotus, Mel means top, Manga means Goddess and the word puram refers to a village or town in Telugu.

The spiritual complex houses the Sri Krishnaswamy Temple and Sri Sundaraja Swamy Temple. According to local legends, Lord Surayanarayana played a vital role in the blooming of the golden lotus. Tourists can visit Lord Sri Suryanarayana Temple built opposite to Padmasarovar.

Must see \ Things to do:Do watch for the intricate carvings on the temple.

2. Tirumala Venkateswara Temple

Head off for the most iconic Vaishnavite temple beautifully set in the hill town of Tirumala. The sacred temple enshrines Lord Sri Venkateswara, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that Lord Venkateswara emerged to save mankind from the plight of Kali Yuga as such the sacred place is also known as Kaliyuga Vaikuntam. The presiding deity is named as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam.

Holy books like Vedas and Puranas dictate the benefits of worshipping Lord Venkateswara. The Lord of the Seven Hills is worshipped with different names as Govinda, Balaji, Venkatachalapathy and Srinivasa. The Hills encompass seven peaks representing the seven heads of Adisesha, the king of all nagas. Venkateswara Temple is located on the seventh peak called the Venkatadri which is set on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini.

Admire the intricate architecture created in Dravidian style dating back to 300 AD. Travellers would be delighted witnessing the gold plated, three tiered tower above the sanctum sanctorum or the gopuram which is named as Ananda Nilayam. It is 65.2 feet tall and beautifully decorated with several idols of Vaishnava mythology. A small idol of Lord Venkateswara is beautifully carved on the second tier of the Vimana.

Believed to be a small replica of the main deity, it is more popular as Vimana Venkateswara. First prayers of the day are first offered to Vimana Venkateswara before being offered to the main deity. Lord Venkateswara appears as the presiding deity in the standing posture with two hands holding the Shanka and Sudarshana Chakra, one hand in varada posture and one hand placed over the thigh.

hree marvellous Dwarams or entrances to the Garbhagriha are worth noticing. Mahadwaram or Padi Kavali with its 50 feet, five storied gopuram that is adorned with seven Kalasams on its top, is one of the striking features of this historically significant temple. The gopuram is decorated with six tiers of carvings. Get inspired with the glorious architecture and structure of the temple that has marvellous mandapams. Pradakshinam or the paths for circumambulating the temple have several impressive mandapams.

A significant feature of the temple is the Krishnadevarayalu mandapam built by the king of Vijayanagara Kingdom, Sri Krishnadevaraya and his two consorts, Tirumala Devi and Chinna Devi. Another important feature of the temple is the stone pillared pavilion called the Tirumala Raya Mandapam or the Anna Unjal Mandapam. The circumambulating path around the Ananda Nilayam Vimanam popular as Vimana Pradakshinam enshrines Varadaraja and Yoga Narasimha.

Must see \ Things to do:Worship Lord Venkateswara