[mobike008]

After going through the recent travelogue from Abhi (Akroy) about his trip to Tirupathi to pay respects to India's most powerful,rich and devoted god, i reminded myself that i need to atleast wake up my lazy back-side and post a few pictures of my trip to the same place if not a detailed travelogue kind of a thing.

Today, finally was able to dig out some pictures of my trip to Tirupathi & Tirumala in Nov'08. I went up the hills by walk and this happens to be my 4th or 5th time that i am walking up from Tirupathi to Tirumala.

This walk will take you across 7 duanting hills to reach Tirumala and there are approximately 5000 steps or more and a total uphill distance of ~ 11kms.(someone correct me if i am wrong, just couldn't remember these details even after being a regular visitor. Too bad on my part).

The first and last being frightfully tough to traverse where the steps are so steep, you need to sometimes balance with your hands to cross a few of them.

What can i say, i have been visiting Tirupathi about once a year and it has become kind of a ritual in our family and each time we go it brings us some peace. But, each year i visit, i realize with some disdain that due to huge opportunities for people living on the hills for commercialization, it isn't the same beautiful place that i visited the previous year, such are changes which neccesarily isn't for the better.

As we all know everything about the nature of this place, i will keep the writing bit short and let you enjoy some random pictures clicked during this short weekend trip.

[Mission_Safari]

"Thank you for not noticing this new notice "

So you chose to climb the hill with footwear.

I have never walked to Tirupathi hill, may be i should try this out soon.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Mission_Safari

"Thank you for not noticing this new notice "

So you chose to climb the hill with footwear.

I have never walked to Tirupathi hill, may be i should try this out soon.

@MS, Decision to walk was itself an uphill task and going barefoot is just un-thinkable. Now that you mentioned, i hardly saw anyone wearing footwear

[Mission_Safari]

Originally Posted by mobike008

@MS, Decision to walk was itself an uphill task and going barefoot is just un-thinkable. Now that you mentioned, i hardly saw anyone wearing footwear

Hey Avi,

I was just kidding. Keep the pictures coming.

OT: Nice signature.

[NK@Hyd]

Looking at these pics from Nov'08 and comparing them to the lunch meet pics from recent weeks, I've only this thing to say, "Yaar, tu kitna mota ho gaya hai".

[mobike008]

I have this fascination for everything and anything edible. So i dont think i can do justice to any travelogue or photoblog without a few pictures dedicated to food related stuff.

So these are to say thank you to them for giving me the strength to go all the way up.

[akroy]

Nice photoblog Avi, Looks like the stair path is well organized and has places to rest and stalls for food/snacks as well.
Keep them coming.

Abhi

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by akroy

Nice photoblog Avi, Looks like the stair path is well organized and has places to rest and stalls for food/snacks as well.
Keep them coming.Abhi

Thanks Abhi. It's surprising that you haven't tried the walking part to Tirumala. If you haven't then do give it a try, it's certainly an experience.

There is a beautiful deer park on the way up and I was happy to note that the deer population has gone up to a large extent. A few years ago, there were just a hand-ful of them.

I also came across one HUGE deer that was hurt. It seemed sad,dejected and totally lost!

[kannan666]

Nice travelogue mobike008 ! Reminds me of the climbs we had done way back in the 80's and 90's. Used to do the climb once every year back then as a friend of mine was a very staunch devotee and he never missed the yearly climb. He also had a house up on the Tirumala hill which was also a small Sevashram which used to house a few old age people. I was later informed that no individual could own property up on the hills and all land and buildings were acquired by the Devasthanam board. Have not been able to make the climb since 1996, so this photo shoot was a nostalgic trip for me back in time !

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by kannan666

He also had a house up on the Tirumala hill which was also a small Sevashram which used to house a few old age people.

My grandfather donated a cottage in Tirumala more than two decades ago and it was never owned by him. You only get a facility of using that cottage, if its vacant. Else, they accomodate in a special guest house reserved for donors.

When i was quite young, our entire family use to go together for this annual pilgrimage. Imagine 50 people occupying an entire train bogey

Just walking up the hill with your arms swinging all the time is so tough. I find some devotees carrying oil and kumkum bowls and they apply it on the steps while walking up? Imagine the number of times you bend down for the entire walk?

[pulsar56]

Nice photos Avi. I hope more are on the way!

As for the hurt deer, looks like it fought with another huge deer for (you-know-what! )

Hyderabad ke bhai log, kabhi kabhi is thread se bahar bhi tho aao

That thread is always open in a dedicated tab! It's been almost a month and I have never closed it! LOL.

[ASHISHPALLOD]

nice photoblog.

mobike, have you enjoyed goti soda/ nimbu paani along the way while climbing?

i had done this path 2/3 times once with friends, once with parents and once with wife. its really good.

@pulsar56-- As for the hurt deer, looks like it fought with another huge deer for (you-know-what! )

how do you know about triangle between two deers and one mobike?

[kannan666]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Just walking up the hill with your arms swinging all the time is so tough. I find some devotees carrying oil and kumkum bowls and they apply it on the steps while walking up? Imagine the number of times you bend down for the entire walk?

Yes, I really used to be moved by the kind of devotion shown by some devotees, made me feel very small and humble ! Lighting lamps, smearing kumkum, etc. is done I guess to fulfil an oath/vow made by them for some prayers answered by the Lord !

[H3LIOS]

Nice pictures, brings back memories. My cousins and I took the stairs up the Tirupati hills several times when we were kids. Its been a while, maybe I should take my kids and make the trip this year.

Cheers.

[vnabhi]

Nice pics, Avi. Got nostalgic memrories of the 3 times I climbed the steps, though I've used transport in yet another half a dozen times to traverse uphill.
The distance, AFAIK, is 9 kms, not 11. But as you said, the first hill is the toughest, and so is the 7th one.
It took us 6 hours the first time---my son managed to climb the entire stretch though he was only 5. All we had to do was reward him with Thums Up every hour.My 1 year old daughter was carried mostly by my wife (reason:unfit husband). The other two occasions, it took us only 3.5 to 4 hours.
You are right regarding donor cottages---my wife's aunt donated 3 cottages and an eye hospital, but we could never manage to get those cottages.