Tirupati: The Lord
of Seven Hills
In the extreme south of the State. lies
the world famous shrine of Lord Venkateshwar BalaJi. This shrine
is the richest shrine in the country. Traditionally the pilgrims
get their hair shaved. The Tirumalai Temples is about 22 kms.
from the town of Tirupati and there are taxis and buses available
frequently. The image of Balaji has the attributes of both Lord
Shiva and Lord Vishnu. The temple with its soaring Gopurams
and gilded Vimana, is a fine example of Dravidian Architecture.
There are daily flights to Tirupati from Hyderabad and Chennai.
There are regular buses from Chennai (150 kms.), Bangalore (248
kms.) and Hyderabad. Renigunta is the nearest railhead, just
10 kms, away. There are numerous Indian style hotels, rest houses,
cottages and dharamshalas and a western style hotel also.
Warangal
About 141 kms. away from Hyderabad, this
town is famous for its fort. The Warangal Fort with its massive
walls and gateways is an interesting place. Besides the fort,
it has also some ancient Chalukyan temples such as the Thousand
Pillard Temple on Hanamkonda Hill and Bhadrakali Temple. It
is linked with Hyderahad by road and has many good hotels also.
Vijaywada
On the
banks of the river Krishna, Vijaywada is famous for many sites
of ancient Buddhist remains, Ninety six kms. away from this
town is Amaravati, noted for its elegant architectural and sculptural
remains of Buddhist origin. Vijaywada is very well connected
with Chennai and Hyderabad by road and rail links and has good
hotels.
Vishakhapatnam
Vishakhapatnam or Vizag is the biggest
port town on the east coast and the second biggest navy base
of India after Bombay. Waltair, renowned for its hospitals,
is its twin city. A 20 km. long marine drive along the beach
from Vizag to Bheemunipatnam is very rewarding. The nearby vantage
point known as “Dolphin’s Nose” offers a fine
view of the Bay of Bengal. About 10 km. north east of Vizag
is Simhachalam with a fine Narsimha Temple atop a hill. This
11th Century shrine is dedicated to the man-lion Avataar (Incarnation)
of Lord Vishnu. As a pilgrim centre, its ranks with Varanasi
and Tirupati. Vizag is air-linked with Vijaywada and Hyderabad.
The railway station here is called Waltair Junction. By road
Vizag is 640 kms. from Hyderabad. There are very good Indian
and Western style of hotels and Circuit House, etc.
