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The Tirupathi STA comprises of the whole of Chittoor District. The twin temple towns
of Tirupathi and Tirumala are located in the extreme south-eastern part of Andhra
Pradesh. The major attraction in the area is the Hindu shrine of Tirumala, located
atop a hill 18 kilometres from the base town of Tirupathi. More than 50 thousand
pilgrims from all over India and abroad come daily to Tirupathi and make the 700
metres ascent to Tirumala in the nearby hills to visit the Sri Venkateswara Temple.
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There are various other attractions too in the immediate region, including the famous
temples of Tiruchanur (5 kms) and Srinivasa Mangapuram (12 kms), both associated
with Lord Balaji, Sri Kalahasti (38 kms) – the ‘Kashi’ of the South, the key historic
sites of Gudimallam (16 kms) – the oldest Shiva temple in India and Chandragiri
Fort (12 kms) – a capital of the erstwhile Vijayanagara Empire, and Kalyani Dam
(23 kms) – a scenic lakeside resort. In addition to these primary attractions, there
are over 40 other religious, natural and historic attractions in the District. |
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Tirupathi town is situated at the foot of the Tirumala hills. The town is made up
of a dense urban core centered around the Govindaraja Temple and surrounding areas
that house numerous universities, the Regional Science Centre, research centres
as well as government agencies and civic complexes.
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Tirupathi town is easily accessible by train. Renigunta junction on the way
to Tirupathi is on the Mumbai-Raychur-Chennai broad gauge line. Tirupathi bound
trains originate from 31 cities and religious centres across the country. |
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It is also connected to the three state capitals of the southern states by road.
It is about 580 kilometres from Hyderabad; 137 kilometres from Chennai and 248 kilometres
from Bangalore. The district headquarter Chittoor is about 69 kilometres south-west
of Tirupathi. Tirupathi is also linked by air from Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore.
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