Darjeeling Mail - উত্তরবঙ্গের ঐতিহ্য - Joydeep Roy

For those who are visiting Tirumala/Tirupati first time,
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***Tirupati is a City situated at foothill of Tirumala hills and Tirumala is on hills where lord Venkteshwara temple is located.***
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1. Plan your...
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Journey perfectly.
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2. There is Major problem is communication , many peoples don’t know Hindi & English , some peoples communicate in English but you will not understand properly so before you visit there collect maximum info by Google/internet(bus stand , auto , RU-TPTY , TPTY-Tirumala Distance , transportation , Hotels etc.
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3. If you are arriving at Renigunta & u wish to go Tirupati then govt buses will not allow you to board the bus for Tirupati they directly drop only at Tirumala, they are not co operative at all. They send Tirupati passengers to private taxi/rickshaw owners. So get the idea of public transport, I didn’t aware of that and I went directly to Tirumala.
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4. At Tirumala there is total confusion for first time visitors , where to go , where is temple , where is Special Darshan(300rs) Entry point , where is Free Bus Stop etc & if you ask anyone they will not able to respond you properly even if you ask police for anything they will not guide you properly they just give u a direction , so maximum information you need to collect before visit.
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5. for the darshan queue Male persons Avoid T Shirts , Jeans/trousers, you will not be allowed to enter and the person who will stop you to enter he will send you to his “Friend” to buy Dhoti who will be there at nearby place (in shop, car etc). So wear traditional dress like dhoti , shirt , kurta , Pyjama etc.
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6. One Most important tip there is luggage counter when you enter rs 300 darshan entry line , walk some 100mtrs there is luggage counter where you can deposit your , Mobile Phones , Luggage bags etc, till at this point you can carry your phones( I asked many people’s but no one told me where is luggage counter and I kept my wallet , phone , belt in hotel itself in tirupati and after coming to this point they told me only phones not allowed , belt , wallet , ladies handbags allowed). Here deposit your luggage bags etc they will give you receipt and your luggage will be send to collection counter near temple exit where you can collect it by showing receipt(be ready to pay some bakshish/tip at both counters). Keep your “Receipt” safe.
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7. Try to book accommodation well in advance through online, if you not get accommodation approach CRO Located near tirumala Bus stand where you can get accommodation (Subject to availability, I reached at 6pm and somehow I reached CRO by asking 7/8 peoples but unfortunately I didn’t get accommodation and I returned to Tirupati by bus and took a private hotel. If u reaching there in evening then there is less chance to get accommodation in evening so plan accordingly.
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8. Once you enter darshan queue u will be there for maximum 2/3/4hrs , toilets available at some places but Drinking water not available so carry water bottles with you , also keep biscuits etc with you.