Tirupati Pilgrimage Preparations
The festival season is on and people are flocking to temples to take the blessings of the gods. One such (or rather the head office of all the gods) is the tirupati temple in andhra pradesh. also known as the tirumala devasthanam it is the favourite shrine of hindus from across india.
The presiding diety is lord tirupathi (i think another name of lord vishnu i may be wrong) according to hindu beliefs the lord is responsible for the well being of all living things the protector of life.
i had been to tirupathi a long time ago and i remember the long waiting period for the darshan (glimpse ) of the lord, my son was then only two year old and we waited almost 6 hours before we could be in front of the lord. now it seems that all that has changed and we are able to book the tickets ( an appointment with god ??) in advance from many cities including mumbai. it is really worth the effort to get the ticket beforehand as there are times when you have already booked your tickets for the to and fro journey you may find it difficult to have darshan in the short period that you are there ( even 24 hours is not enough sometimes)
you can find the mumbai contact numbers for booking the tickets for darshan here
there is also online site of the temple for information regarding the various archanas (offerings) and special darshans here.
It is a custom to offer your hair to the lord at this temple, but be careful since the barbers (at that time) do not use any soap only water before the apply the razor to your scalp.
i have been wanting to go there since a long time but as they say you can only visit the lord when he wills you to come to him.
Wish you all the best in life.
