21-Mar-2017 – DAY 1

It is believed that one cannot make plans to visit the holy temple of Tirupati unless and until there is a divine calling. Back in 1995, my friends and I had made meticulous planning to tour South India, starting with a darshan of Balaji. We did reach Tirumala but were informed that because of the yearly cleaning routine the temple was closed.

The place was chock-a-bloc with devotees and all the guest houses were packed to the hilt. In those days TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) did not provide the facilities that are prevalent today. We spent the entire night in the open, shivering in the cold and waiting for a miracle to happen. Because of a jam packed itinerary, we had to leave Tirumala without a visit to the sanctum sanctorum. Little did I realize that I had to wait another 22 years before I could get another opportunity to visit Tirumala!!

This time around a casual comment by my wife to visit Tirupati led to a hurried train booking over the net. I did contemplate taking a flight out of Pune but the routes were convoluted and I had to drop the idea. The road option got itself elected out because of the heat, traffic and the long travel time.

We were on waiting list and were not too hopeful but at the last minute all our tickets got confirmed. The AC coach provided some respite from the heat. The Kanya kumari express got us to Tirupati station late in the afternoon. Knowing the constrains of online booking and the clever logic used by the websites to pressurize innocent traveler to book rooms at a higher price, I had decided to do “on the spot” reservation. Thanks to suggestion from my friends, I knew that I had to head to the Mayura hotel. My trusted GPS indicated that the hotel was just 750 meters from the railway station and we decided to walk the distance. Just few meters from the station we were stopped by a family of three ladies and few kids. One of the ladies asked if we speak Marathi. When I gave my assent, she informed me that they had arrived in the morning and had finished their bath at a local place only to discover that their baggage has been stolen along with Rs. 9500/-…. With no money and without any knowledge of the local lingo the party claimed that they were in a dire situation and needed financial help to go back to Akola. After few preliminary inquiries, I parted with Rs. 2000/- so that they have enough money for food and tickets. A fleeting thought crossed my mind that this could be another ruse to fleece pilgrims but then again I considered the chances of us bumping on to them and knowing Marathi to understand their plea and pushed the thought away… considered meeting them as pre-destined.

I had checked the online rate of the hotel and it was Rs. 2850/- for a standard AC room and on inquiry at the hotel I was quoted Rs. 2550/-. Since we wanted kids to be in the same room we requested for a family room. I was quoted Rs. 4800/- including taxes for four beds. I politely informed them that rate was on the higher side and started walking away when the manager asked the clerk to book us in for Rs. 3800/-!! A polite tone and straight face can sure help in negotiation! The hotel itself is not imposing from the outside but the rooms have all the modern comforts. Despite being sandwiched between the railway tracks and the main street and the bus depot, the hotel has managed to keep out the cacophony of the Indian streets…very effective noise cancellation mechanism!

After check-in and a quick bath, we headed for Srikalahasti. I have heard so much about the local transport at Tirupati and Tirumala that I decided to put it to test during my visit. Incidentally, the bus depot is just across the hotel and was very convenient for us to travel around Tirupati economically. The bus depot was clean and buses even cleaner!

The ticket to SriKalahasti is just Rs. 38/- per head. It took us less than an hour to reach the temple. The temple “Gopuram” is freshly painted in white. As we reached the temple late in the evening, the “devotee traffic” was thin…Srikalahasti is the only temple which is devoted to Lord Vayu…it is told that in the sanctum sanctorum has a lamp whose flame wavers day and night without any traces of wind!! Does this hint the presence of Lord Vayu? Unfortunately, the devotees are ushered through most of the Indian temples without getting a chance to wonder and ponder over such miracles.

The Shiv Lingam is white in color and is said to be a Swayambhu. No abhishekam is offered to the main lingam and to this date it remains untouched. The pooja is offered to the utsava murthi.

The name of the temple is derived from three fervent devotees of Lord Shiva… Sri for Spider, Kala for Serpent and Hasti for Elephant.

The temple has huge precinct and embodies several other vigrahas and lingas. I would recommend taking darshan of “Patahala Ganapati”. This is situated very close to the main entrance. As devotees queue up to have darshan of the main deity, they promise themselves to visit “Patahala Ganapati” on their return but miss it due to several other exits in the temple. The entrance of the “Patahala Ganapati” temple is very narrow… you have crawl on all fours to enter. There is a narrow and steep stairway leading down to the Vigraham. It is atleast 30 feet down from the ground level. The stairway limits only one person to descend and at any given point in time no more than 10 people can assemble near the vigraha. A self-imposed discipline takes over the queue and they wait patiently for the devotees to emerge out of the temple before the next batch goes in. I managed to understand this complex procedure through observation and imposing my Tamil on the locals!

I always look forward to the prasadam at temples. It somehow integrates the essence of the temple aroma… the flowers, the smell of the incense, the pooja offerings, the tulsi leaf and the whiff of the prasadam itself! The “chakkara pongal” at Srikalahasti quietened my urge to imbibe the surroundings in more detail!

Before entering the temple I had to deposit all modern gadgets…cameras included. It is a shame that I had to click all the wonderful scenes only in my memory!

As we were circumambulating, a lady gesticulated to me and was pointing at something. I usually avoid to get entangled in any rituals. My wife being the curious one went ahead. The lady had actually taken over a prime spot in the temple from where one can see the “Kalasha” and “Dwaja Sthambha” through properly designed windows in the roof. The lady was making a living out of it… on the brighter side I would have definitely missed it, if not for the tenacious followup by the lady .

Having spent considerable time in the temple, we headed back to the hotel. I was recommended to have food at Mayura. Though their menu offered North Indian, Chinese and what not… I decided to be a “roman in Rome” and ordered a South Indian Thali. I was looking forward to a Banana leaf dinner but was served food on a steel plate… I hid my frustration and decided to enjoy what I was served.