Tirupati-Tirumala

Tirumala’s Venkatesawara temple is one of the most important, most visited and richest pilgrimage sites in India. The main temple dedicated to Lord Venkatesawara, a form of the Hindu god Vishnu, is located on the Tirumala Hill. There’s generally a long queue, followed by a quick darshan of the black stone idol, who adorns a heavy gold crown encrusted with diamonds and the world’s largest emerald. Don’t forget to sample the famous patented Tirupati laddoo, which is given as prasadam after the darshan. Devotees also get their heads tonsured here. There is also a cluster of temples for allied deities near Tirupati. Just 140 kms out of Chennai, frequent buses make the journey easy.