Tirupathi with Sri Kalahasthi

Tirupati, the holy city is located in the southeastern part of Andhra Pradesh. Known as the abode of the ‘Kaliyuga’ deity Lord Venkateswara popularly known as Balaji, Tirupati is famous for the Venkateswara temple in the sacred Tirumala hills at an elevation of 860m. One of the most important pilgrimage centres in India, the temple draws millions of pilgrims and is believed to be the busiest pilgrimage centre in the world. The government has proposed to give special status to the town on the lines of the Vatican. Lying at the southern tip of the Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh, the district has several perennial waterfalls and vast forest cover. Tirupati town itself has several temples and is famous for its red wooden toys, and copper and brass idols.Tirupati has for centuries remained a destination divine and this feeling grows on one as one goes around the various temples and spots of natural beauty surrounding this major town. Tirupati is situated amidst the lush green Eastern Ghats. From among the legends lying behind temples, one of the strangest is from Srikalahasti, 36 km from the temple town of Tirupati. There is a temple of Shiva in the form of a Vayu Linga and the legend behind it is that the deity was worshipped by a spider (Sri) that spun a web over it, while a snake (Kala) placed a gem on the linga and an elephant (Hasti) washed the linga with water.The temple lies on the banks of the River Swarnamukhi in a valley.