Tirupati Tour Packages

Only through TTD's official website, ttdevasthanams.ap.gov.in, or its official app. TTD repeatedly warns devotees about fake websites selling darshan and seva tickets, and tells them never to pay middlemen. Sarva Darshan, the general queue through the Vaikuntam Queue Complex, is free. Special Entry Darshan has been bookable in advance online since 2014. We plan your trip around the darshan you secure.

Yes. TTD introduced a traditional dress code in 2013 for pilgrims at Arjitha Sevas and has since extended it to VIP break darshan and the paid darshans. Men wear a dhoti or pyjama with an upper cloth; women wear a saree or half-saree with blouse, or a churidar with pyjama and upper cloth. TTD also asks pilgrims not to wear footwear, caps or hats in the temple, or flowers at Tirumala.

Yes. Two stone footpaths climb the hills: the older Alipiri path, the one most pilgrims use, which TTD puts at about three hours, and the shorter Srivari Mettu path, about an hour and a half. Walkers receive tokens at biometric counters on the way for free darshan, and luggage left at Alipiri or in Tirupati is carried up free. After leopard attacks, TTD has at times limited the hours for families with young children, so check the current rules first.

The road up is about 18 km of hairpin bends. AP Tourism says the time allowed is 28 minutes up and 40 minutes down, with a fine for arriving sooner. The ghat roads are normally open from 3 am to midnight, and round the clock on special occasions. At the Alipiri checkpoint vehicles are searched: alcohol, tobacco and meat are not allowed on the hill.

During the Brahmotsavam, TTD's most important festival: nine days whose high point is the Garuda Seva on the fifth night. It usually falls in September or October, and in some years TTD holds two, on dates it announces in advance. Vaikuntha Ekadasi, in December or January, brings special darshan days with their own token rules. On peak days TTD keeps Sarva Darshan open about 20 hours, against about 18 normally.

No. Tonsure is a vow many pilgrims choose, never a condition of darshan. It is free at all of TTD's Kalyanakattas, the tonsure halls; the main one works round the clock in four shifts from 3 am, and pilgrims are given a computer-generated token. If you take part, it is usually done before darshan, so allow extra time that morning.

Yes. Pilgrims who have completed 65 can book it in advance on TTD's official website with Aadhaar, accompanied only by a spouse; TTD lists a quota of 1,000 a day, at 3 pm from Monday to Saturday. Similar slots exist for differently abled pilgrims and listed medical cases, with certificates. Because Aadhaar is required, overseas visitors should check eligibility before planning around it.