[TROOPER]

Originally Posted by mazda4life

I booked for my family for 1st Dec , 10 PM slot , the site is lightening fast and the process super quick and efficient. Thanks Trooper for the info, was very handy.

Great!

Yup. The booking process was super smooth and quick. Have booked for 20th Dec, 8 PM.

Couple of queries:

Anyone got an idea what kind of rush can be expected around 8 PM on a Monday?

Does no electronic gadgets include our car keys?

Would appreciate if anyone could guide me through the laddu collection process. Like when and where to get the paid laddu tokens and collect the laddus from.

Thanks in advance!

[adisan]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

Anyone got an idea what kind of rush can be expected around 8 PM on a Monday?
Does no electronic gadgets include our car keys?
Would appreciate if anyone could guide me through the laddu collection process. Like when and where to get the paid laddu tokens and collect the laddus from.

Expected rush:
On a general note, the number of persons allowed nowadays is far lesser than pre-Covid times. In recent times darshan has taken anywhere between 15 minutes to 2 hours. Best to eat well before entering the queue complex if you cannot stand hunger.

Car keys:
I have taken my car keys with me during darshan, but mine does not include a remote nor batteries.

Laddoos:
Every person who completes darshan is given one laddoo free. Take a printout of the darshan tickets. It will be checked before allowing entry nd returned to you, keep it safe. It has to be handed over in the laddoo counter for the free laddoo.
For laddoo counters - after exiting the temple, when you get to the mada street, turn left, walk to dead-end and then turn right. You can directly buy additional laddoos from the same counter where you get the free laddoo.

[efgritesh]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

Great!

Yup. The booking process was super smooth and quick. Have booked for 20th Dec, 8 PM.

I too got ticket for same slot, we can plan to meet there

additional to your query i have few more -

- Does it makes more sense to book accommodation in Tirumala assuming that it will be late by the time we finish Darshan with our 8.00 PM slot?
- Any recommendations for hotels near Tirupati airport? My family members will be flying in to Tirupati a day before. I am planning to stay at Tirupati for one night and avail Tirumala accommodation for the second day.
- Parking scenario at Tirumala?

[TROOPER]

Originally Posted by efgritesh

I too got ticket for same slot, we can plan to meet there

Haha! Quite the coincidence! Definitely. Will PM you soon.

What are your travel plans? Me and dad will start for Bangalore from Bombay on 19th. Halt there and reach Tirupati by afternoon on the 20th.

I’ve made my booking at Pai Viceroy, seems to be among the top reviewed hotels in Tirupati. But it’s near Alipiri gate and far from the airport.

[jkrishnakj]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

Great!

Yup. The booking process was super smooth and quick. Have booked for 20th Dec, 8 PM.

Couple of queries:

Anyone got an idea what kind of rush can be expected around 8 PM on a Monday?

Does no electronic gadgets include our car keys?

Would appreciate if anyone could guide me through the laddu collection process. Like when and where to get the paid laddu tokens and collect the laddus from.

Thanks in advance!

Standard crowds and pre-covid darshan times prevail now. Good to budget about 2 hours minimum.

You can carry your car key. Nothing else. Don't even wear your smart watch. Causes unnecessary issues.

As for the Laddu, you finish darshan and just follow the crowd. Everyone ends up in the Ladoo counter. Please ensure you carry your own carry bag with you, else you will stand in a Queue to buy those bags for 5 rupees.

The laddoo counters are in ground and first floor. Show your ticket and you get your free laddoo. Besides, you can pay cash and buy as many as you want. No restrictions on how many you can buy. Keep cash handy for this.

[RoadTiger]

Completed our darshan yesterday at 6.05 pm. The recent floods seem to be a bit of a blessing in disguise - with lesser crowds when we went - than what was reported to be the case a few days/ weeks back.

A few pointers (esp for any first-timers) :

Reached and parked our car at a parking spot nearest to the Special Darshan Entry point, which was still about a 5-min walk away. Kept all belongings in the car - and entered only with aadhar cards, entry ticket printout and some cash in pocket - and yes, the car key and a small cloth bag to collect laddus.

There were 2-3 checkpoints/ security checks before the final check of ticket along with aadhar card. We followed the queue and it look about 20-30 mins from our entry time into the complex to the darshan of the Lord. There was a good, long queue - thankfully no pushing/ shoving. Had a few seconds of darshan. Felt totally blessed

After completing darshan and a walk around the temple, received the prasadam laddu and ate in the inner complex itself before exiting. The laddu counters are about 100m on the left after one exits the main temple (no confusion if one follows the general crowd + sign boards for the literate). Was carrying a small cloth bag - but chose to buy one at the counter. There were 2-3 counters for the bags, managed by pvt cos (it seemed) - before one enters the laddu 'building'. These cost like 3 to 6 Rs depending on the size of the bag. Bought one for 10 Rs - the guy at the counter acted as if he didnt have any change when it seemed there were enough people providing change (wasnt very pleased with that experience in such a religious place). Went to the laddu counters - which all seemed the same. The laddu counters also provide bags for like 7 and 11 rupees or something (wonder why such odd numbers). I was there to collect the 'pre-paid' laddus mentioned on the ticket (booked at the time of online booking) - with a printout in hand. Realised that the initial ones I saw were 'only cash' counters for impromptu laddu purchases - and for the 'pre-paid' laddus, the counters were further along.

For the exit, I asked one of the security/ volunteers to help figure out the exit point closest to the entry of the special darshan. Turned out to be a good decision - since one had to go around the temple complex a bit to reach. Took about 10 mins to reach my car park after the exit.

Overall, a divine experience. Tirumala town itself is clean and well organized.

[efgritesh]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

What are your travel plans? Me and dad will start for Bangalore from Bombay on 19th. Halt there and reach Tirupati by afternoon on the 20th.

I will be starting from Pune on 18th and planning to halt at Banglore before reaching Tirupati on 19th. My parents will be flying in to Tirupati on 19th, hence need to reach there on 19th itself, even though i have 8.00 pm slot on 20th Dec.

Are you planning to come back to your hotel for stay on 20th? would it be good idea to drive down assuming it might be late by the time we finish Darshann?

Accommodation booking process is tedious as was the original booking process, yet to figure out if my transaction was successful or not .

[mazda4life]

Originally Posted by efgritesh

Accommodation booking process is tedious as was the original booking process, yet to figure out if my transaction was successful or not .

My recommendation would be book your accommodation in Tirumala and spend the day till evening visiting some local attractions like Shilatorana, dam, have a dip in the pushkarni , visit Varahaswami temple , Hanuman temple etc. You can book a taxi/jeep for 6 hours and enjoy your stay at Tirumala.

[TROOPER]

Originally Posted by efgritesh

Are you planning to come back to your hotel for stay on 20th? would it be good idea to drive down assuming it might be late by the time we finish Darshann?

Why not?

Driving down back to the hotel shouldn't be so lonely considering the temple is open for 24 hrs. There will definitely be vehicles on the roads.

Plus my hotel is like 1.5 KMs from the Alipiri toll gate.

Although I don't know how well TTD rooms are maintained, I decided on a hotel considering covid, and as you can see the chaos that has again started with the new variant's arrival.

[jkrishnakj]

^^
Pai Viceroy is a decent one. Whilst you can't expect the Taj/Marriott kind of services, you won't be disappointed. The roads are always busy and Tirumala is always lit up. Hard to differentiate a 8 pm vs a 3 am time there. Quite safe indeed.

For your 19th stay, not sure where you plan to stay at Bangalore, but recommendation will be to find a place closer to MG Road/Ulsoor/KR Puram/Mahadevapura sides. Helps to clear the city and get onto the highway quicker. You don't want to be spending an hour crossing the city to get to the highway. From KR Puram hanging bridge, you can reach Alipiri/Hotel in about 3.5 hours.

TTD hotels - err..carry your own towels and linen and bed spread.

[TROOPER]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

^^

For your 19th stay, not sure where you plan to stay at Bangalore, but recommendation will be to find a place closer to MG Road/Ulsoor/KR Puram/Mahadevapura sides. Helps to clear the city and get onto the highway quicker. You don't want to be spending an hour crossing the city to get to the highway. From KR Puram hanging bridge, you can reach Alipiri/Hotel in about 3.5 hours.

While that's exactly what my initial plan was, even as I type this, on a Sunday (19th Dec too), G maps shows around 40 minutes of drive time to the areas you have mentioned (also all the good hotels seem to be in those areas), from the hotel I've booked (Gokulam Grand HMR Layout).

That's 40+ extra minutes added to the 16-17 hrs of non stop driving from Bombay. Neither me or dad are keen on facing traffic post that long drive. So I had to stick to Gokulam Grand. Apparently one of the few decent ones you get on entering Bangalore.

I've had so many nice drives ruined by Bombay evening traffic in the end. You can understand why I'm wary of those extra 20-25 kms.

[adisan]

Originally Posted by efgritesh

- Parking scenario at Tirumala?

If parking at Tirumala, do note down a landmark near to where you have parked. The location where you exit the temple is not the same as where you enter the queue complex, so you won't be able to simply retrace your route to your car after darshan. Alternatively you could save the location on your mobile, but you would have to deposit the mobile while entering the queue and then collect it back after darshan - there will be separate queues for both.

Originally Posted by TROOPER

...the temple is open for 24 hrs.

Even during pre-covid times the temple was not open for all 24 hours, only the queue complex was open. In recent times, it is doubtful whether even the queue complex is open 24x7.
Also, the ghat roads will be closed for traffic from midnight for 2-3 hours.
The toll free TTD helpline should be able to provide more specific information.

Originally Posted by TROOPER

Quite the coincidence!

"Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous" (there is a lack of clarity regarding whom to attribute this quote to).

[efgritesh]

Originally Posted by mazda4life

My recommendation would be book your accommodation in Tirumala .

Are there any options other then the TTD accommodations in Tirumala? I saw your previous post on same topic where you metioned that there are private accommodations available in Tirumala can you explain a bit on how to avail them?

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by efgritesh

Are there any options other then the TTD accommodations in Tirumala?

Other than TTD guest houses, there are few guest houses of Mutts. But if you are expecting any private hotels, then there are none in Tirumala. You'll have to stay in Tirupati if you want to stay in hotel.

[efgritesh]

Originally Posted by shipnil

Other than TTD guest houses, there are few guest houses of Mutts.

I can imagine this wont be like booking, but is there a way to confirm if this will be available and can be availed during our trip?