[adisan]

Originally Posted by BRV

Kalyanotsavam - will be normal darshan after the Kalyana ritual, general queue (free and Rs.300 darshan) will be stopped during that time.

The few times I went for Kalyanotsavam (pre-covid times), the general queue was not stopped. We just joined the general queue after the Kalyanotsavam was completed. In those times, the laddoos and vadas used to be given inside the main temple complex; now I think it has been moved to the laddoo counter

[ravib]

Originally Posted by BRV

Yes, all the devotees will be gathered near the Jaya Vijaya place and Suprabhatham starts. Once completed will be allowed for Darshanam beyond Jaya Vijaya.

The room / mandapam will be full/ jam packed. I went for this seva before Covid and the crowd was typical. Not sure if the management reduced the number. Please expect the same level of crowd now.

+1 What BRV said is all 100% correct and i had exactly same experience.
One tip for those who go to Suprabhatham - Join the queue at 12 midnight or 12.30 am. If you are ahead of the queue, you have greater chances of entering and standing inside Bangaaru vaakili (Golden door) and stand near Garudar or Jaya/Vijaya statues. That will help to see and hear Suprabhatham reciting. Do note the way suprabhatam recited there is different from what normally people used to hear from M.S.Subbulakshmi version. If you are in end of the queue, you may end up standing outside Bangaaru vaakili. My personal opinion, it feels much better to stand near Garuda statue inside than standing outside, although everywhere it will be jam packed crowd.

-Ravi

[mankuthimma]

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

We are visiting Tirupati/Tirumala on the coming Monday and Tuesday.

Few updates from my trip and answering some of my own queries I had before starting our trip -

For walking up the Tirumala Hill, Alipiri footpath is open from 4AM to 10PM. But Srivari Mettu will be opened soon, probably May 1st onwards.

There was absolutely no checking at the start of the footpath, not even Darshan tickets. So it is open for everyone. But no Divya Darshan tickets are being given too for the walkers!
We started our climb at 3.30 PM, first hour was difficult, due to summer heat and steep steps. Tirupati weather is very very hot touching 38-40 degrees. Once the sun started setting, temperatures cooled down and it became easier to walk, even on the uncovered sections along the ghat roads. We reached the top at around 8 PM with lot of breaks in between for hydration. Since we had no plans of darshan, we just sighted the Sri Vari Temple Gopuram and came down.

Next day morning, we had good darshan at Padmavathi Temple at Tiruchanur.
After lunch, started driving towards Tirumala for our Darshan at 5PM. We entered the queue complex at ATC circle at around 3.30 PM. It is possible to enter the queue early upto 2 hrs in advance, thanks to a tip off from a cab driver. Probably being a Tuesday and an odd time of entry late afternoon, we didnt have to wait at VQC at all and the queue moved briskly, no jostling, no pushing, well behaved crowd. We had a peaceful and satisfying Darshan in an hour's time and were out of the temple by 5 PM. Exiting the temple is more challenging as there is no crowd control.

Found this convenient location to park our car. https://goo.gl/maps/FKhHA5KPh1B9Qmia7
This was easy to locate, just off the main road. The landmark is the barricade on the main road where the row of shops starts. Follow the direction boards saying Mullagunta Parking / SNC Parking. We left our phones/bags in the car which also saved time by avoiding queues at the deposit/collection counters.

Another but excellent tip we got was to wear socks for walking around, otherwise the road surface is scorching hot to walk barefoot. Blessings can come in many small disguises!

Our accommodation at TrueLife Homestays at Tirupati was very good. Covered parking, calm residential area and convenient location with easy access to everything. Can be booked via airbnb.

The food at Hotel Pai Viceroy was excellent, much much better than Bheemas!!

oh btw, the new roads to Tirupati are just awesome and makes the drive a breeze!! Just takes 3.5 hrs even with sedate driving. During the journey, we had pitstops at Woodys while going and Nandi Food Plaza while coming back.

[adisan]

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

There was absolutely no checking at the start of the footpath, not even Darshan tickets. So it is open for everyone.

There was a stampede-like situation at one of the Sarva darshan ticket issue centers a couple of weeks back, as a result of which they stopped issuing tickets. People were allowed for Sarva darshan without any tickets.

Guess it still continues, and that could be the reason for no checking of tickets at Alipiri Mettu start.

[udayjani]

Hi Folks,

Thank you all for your inputs, thoughts and guidance.

Couple of days I came across the below news about TTD resuming Infant (Kids) entry line in TG channel - @beautifultirupathi.

Attached the snapshot and the terms and conditions as it may help parents with infants. No Booking of tickets required for parents.

But I am skeptical considering no covid vaccine available for infants and the huge inflow of devotees in free darshan. Social distancing and wearing masks will certainly go for a toss.

Special Darshan With Infants terms and conditions:
👉Must carry original ID proofs and the birth certificate of the baby at the time of verification
👉Parents must and should carry birth proof or anyone government identity card of your children to confirm their age
👉Only parents can allow along with the children like guardians or relatives are not allowed for this darshan
👉Siblings (Own brother or own sister) for that kid are allowed along with parents
👉For this darshan, there are no tickets. Free for the parents and the children
👉Supadham is nearly 100 to 200 feet distance from the Vaikuntam queue complex
👉There is no need to wait in the compartment for the children darshan through the Supadam.

Note :For this special darshan dress code is compulsory:
For men: Kurta-pajama or dhoti or Pancha are allowed
For Women: Punjabi dress along with Dupatta or half saree or saree is allowed.

[adisan]

Srivari Mettu will be opened soon, probably May 1st onwards.

Refurbished Srivari Mettu pedestrian route opened (report in The Times Of India)

It may be recalled that the Srivari Mettu pedestrian route leading to Tirumala was completely washed away in the flash floods triggered by the torrential rains reported in the city in November last year.

[dailydriver]

A simple word search of just this sub section shows up seventeen different threads containing the word Tirupati. This being the most active one, I am posting a piece of information here.

A few days back there was a little commotion because officials apparently asked for a film star’s photo to be removed from the rear windshield of a car. Before things could escalate further, TTD has come out with clear and strict instructions about what is allowed and what is not.

As per the news published in a Kannada daily, non-compliant religious symbols, photographs/stickers of movie stars or politicians and logos or flags of political parties will be removed from vehicles during checking at Alipiri checkpost (Non removal will result in entry being denied).

Although it is unlikely that any Bhpian will be sporting these icons on their cars, it would be better to let others going to Tirupati know of this development.

[adisan]

SED quota for July and August months in 2022 is open for booking.

Tirumala accommodation for July 2022 is open for booking.

[adisan]

More updates from TTD.

[JaiHanuman]

I had a nice darshan on 23rd May.
We had booked for 6:00 PM but entered the queue at 5:00 PM. It took us 4:30 hours to complete the darshan and come out.
For major part of the queue, it was disciplined line but as we entered the temple dwaram, it was total chaos. The two line queue become n-line queue.
I did not have to walk at all, as a paper caught in the gust of wind, I was deposited inside temple by pushing and crushing of devotees around me. One minute outside and another minute found myself inside of the temple.
I and family had a surreal darshan and come out. Exiting was also a major task. Due to heavy rush in inflow of devotees through the dwaram, the outflow of devotees was regulated, leading to build-up of people in the temple.
At the end we were very happy to have darshan after the 2 years of covid lockdowns.
Before this, last visited in 2019 and at that time completed the darshan in 15 mins. In 2018 we completed in 30 mins.

[saisree]

Originally Posted by shipnil

During Suprabhatham, are you allowed go beyond Jay-Vijaya statues?

How much is the crowd? I have got a Suprabhatam seva ticket for the one of the days in June month.

Had the Suprabatham darshan around 2019 and got a ticket again for the month of July.

We have to be present at Vaikuntam Queue Complex (VQC) -1 at around 2:00 AM. Only 500 Tickets per day. We will assemble inside the Sanctum and the doors will be closed. Priests and Jeeyengars will recite the Suprabatham and will open the main doors. The first darshan will be given to appointed person from the Tallapaka Annamayya family, followed by the head priest. A quick harathi and the curtains will be opened for us to have the darshan. We will be allowed upto Kulasekara Padi, which is the first step from the Lord. A darshan, at a distance of 10 feet. You need to experience the vibration and the currents seeing the almighty so close.

All the best and hope, you have your accommodation reserved.

Originally Posted by udayjani

Note :For this special darshan dress code is compulsory:
For men: Kurta-pajama or dhoti or Pancha are allowed
For Women: Punjabi dress along with Dupatta or half saree or saree is allowed.

A small correction. This dress code is for all types of darshan.

[jkrishnakj]

How does one get to book the Suprapatham darshan? Is it through the same portal that we use for SED?

[adisan]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

How does one get to book the Suprapatham darshan? Is it through the same portal that we use for SED?

Since the number of tickets is very limited, instead of opening the quota for direct booking, TTD uses an electronic lottery system to allot the tickets. TTD allows interested persons to register for the electronic dip through the e-seva website. Need to keep checking the website for info regarding the dates when they open the registration for each month.

[ravib]

Originally Posted by saisree

You need to experience the vibration and the currents seeing the almighty so close.

Absolutely. No words to describe it. All the time, as i get closer to the lord, my eyes are filled with tears. The vibration and the place around the lord with agarbatti, flowers and other aromatic things to decorate the lord, its very hard to remember once you come out.

Last i had Suprabhatham darshan was in 2015. After that am yet to get lord's grace to have it again. Saisree is truly blessed

-Ravi

[jkrishnakj]

I had a fantastic darshan yesterday. We went to Tiruchanur in the morning and the 100 Rs darshan was done in 20 minutes. For the 5 pm SED, we joined the queue at ATC circle at 4 pm and we had a lovely darshan by 5.45 pm.

The crowd is too heavy. No one was wearing masks and I felt that my wife and I were perhaps the only ones with the mask on. Jostling and pushing is now normal. Like someone said in an earlier post, the moment you reach the Doobasthambam, you don’t need to do anything. You’ll automatically get deposited inside for darshan, such was the pushing there.

I was lucky to see some open slots of SED I’m August and I promptly booked one for 23rd Aug.