The 'Holy Hill' of Tirumala in the extreme southeast of Andhra Pradesh is one of the most important pilgrimage centers in India.

The proficient Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams (TTD) manages the crowds. In both Tirumala and Tirupathi, the pilgrims are provided with choultries as lodging. There is regular bus service between Tirupati and Tirumala in motion since dawn until dusk.

Tirumala is one of those few places in India where non-Hindus are allowed in the sanctum. Downhill from the main temple is situated Sri Padmavati Amma Vari Temple dedicated to goddess Lakshmi.

Tirumala-Tirupati, one of the richest temples in the country, is the most venerated Vaishnavite shrine of Lord Venkateswara. The Pallavas, the Cholas, the Pandyas and the Vijayanagar kings patronized it. 130 kms from the city of Madras (Chennai), this temple is located in the southern Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. Tiru' in Tamil means `Sri'. Hence Tirupati translates to Sripati or Sri Maha Vishnu. According to the Puranas, the range of Tirumala hills represents the body of the serpent Adisesha, on which Lord Vishnu, the protector of the world, rests. The seven hills represent the seven heads of the serpent.

Perched on the 860-m high peak of the Tirumala hills, the temple is a Dravidian masterpiece. The splendid Viman or 'Ananda Nilayam' rising protectively over the sanctum is the most arresting feature in the temple complex. It is plated with gold, as is the Dwajasthambam, or the temple flagpost. The innermost enclosure of the three 'prakarams', opened once annually, enshrines the two-meter high majestic black idol of Lord Venkateswara, bedecked with priceless glittering jewels, most striking of which is the diamond crown said to be the costliest in the world.

The idol has four arms, two in the rear, one carrying the Shankha or the conch, and the other the Chakra or the discus, and two in the front, one in the Abhaya pose and the other resting on the hip. On the front arms, the Bhujanga Valaya, or the girdle of the serpent, an emblem of Shiva can be seen. People from the northern parts of India; worship Lord Venkateswara, as Balaji. It is praised by poets as `Bhuloka Vaikuntha'. The two very important customs followed in the temple are anointing the body of the Lord with camphor (Karpoora), saffron and musk, and offering the tonsure of hair as a sacrifice to the Lord.

One of the most popular places of pilgrimage in the world, Sri Venkateshvara is the god whose picture graces the reception areas of most lodges and restaurants in southern India. Some people believe that the idol of Shri Venkateswara has the attributes of Vishnu and Shiva, the preserving and the destroying aspects of the Hindu Trinity. This conception is a happy compromise appealing at once to the Vaishnavites and Shaivites.

Thousands of people spend hours standing in Q's for darshan (a view of the god), the briefest of brief experiences. Temple funds support a university, hospital, orphanages and schools at Tirupati as well as providing cheap, and in some cases free, accommodation for pilgrims.