divine the consort - marasaindia.com · or “the divine consort? ... the new hotel from east ......

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44 EXOTICA / JUNE 2015 divine As presiding deity of the second richest Hindu temple in the world, Lord Venkateswara, is the one devotees queue up to be with. But beyond his temple, Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh is an aesthetic little smart city that nurtures everything that’s good about religion and life by RITU PANDEY Photos SANJEEV KUMAR consort The

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Page 1: divine The consort - marasaindia.com · or “the divine consort? ... The new hotel from East ... dokra and golden Kalamkari murals fill up the walls, has 121 rooms, suites and three

44 EXOTICA / JUNE 2015

divineAs presiding deity of the second richest Hindu temple in the world,Lord Venkateswara, is the one devotees queue up to be with. But

beyond his temple, Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh is an aesthetic littlesmart city that nurtures everything that’s good about religion and life

by RITU PANDEYPhotos SANJEEV KUMAR

consortThe

Page 2: divine The consort - marasaindia.com · or “the divine consort? ... The new hotel from East ... dokra and golden Kalamkari murals fill up the walls, has 121 rooms, suites and three

45JUNE 2015 / EXOTICA

TRAVEL

STEP-BY-STEP: Thehundis are ubiquitous inTirupati. Reaffirming itsreputation as the secondrichest Hindu temple inthe world. But it’s themythological significanceof the place that remainslargely unknown. Likewhy is the presidingdeity of Tirumalareferred to as “Tiru pati”or “the divine consort?”Turns out an incarnationof Lord Vishnu, SriVenkateswara marriedPadmawati in Tirupatiand settled down as afamily man in the hills ofTirumala repaying thehuge loan he took fromKubera, the lord ofwealth, for the nuptial.Scores trace his footstepseveryday helping himmonetarily while lookingfor their own familialhappiness.

Page 3: divine The consort - marasaindia.com · or “the divine consort? ... The new hotel from East ... dokra and golden Kalamkari murals fill up the walls, has 121 rooms, suites and three

TRAVEL

PILGRIM’S PROGRESS: Tirupati is thepreferred spot for several Hindu rites of passagelike weddings, initiation and mundan. The startingpoint of the pilgrimage is Alipiri, from where it’s a3,500-steps climb to the shrine, which takes aboutfour hours. Marking the steps with haldi-kumkumand burning camphor is a ritual but devotees makethe walk unique — postrating, on their knees...Tirupati is also known as the “Temple of SevenHills” and the route through these hills is markedwith gateways, small shrines as well as a deer park.Though believed to be the land of SriVenkateswara, the Seshachalem forest atop thesehills is a dangerous territory. It is world’s primarysource of red sandalwood and recently made newsfor the alleged encounter of 20 smugglers. Thetemple town too doubles up as the local hub ofboth smugglers and anti-smuggling forces.Monsoon is the best time to enjoy this verdantwild when it’s all gushing waterfalls and mist.

Page 4: divine The consort - marasaindia.com · or “the divine consort? ... The new hotel from East ... dokra and golden Kalamkari murals fill up the walls, has 121 rooms, suites and three

T O G E T T H E R EAIR: Tirupati Airport is located 15km from the city centre and hasregular flights to Coimbatore,Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi,Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.Chennai is the closest internationalairport 130 km away. RAIL: Tirupati Main is the primaryrailway station serving the city. ROAD: Sri Hari bus station is one ofthe largest in the state and has directbuses to major towns across SouthIndia. There is a bus terminal atAlipiri for buses to Tirumala. TheTirumala Tirupati Devasthanam alsoruns free buses from railway stationand Central bus stand to Alipiri.

NO WORSHIP WORRIES: As the main deity of the land, Balaji has hisown set of legends related to Tirupati. Which makes it a town of some reallyhistoric temples. So Govindarajaswami Temple is the abode of his brother,Padmavathi Ammavari Temple of his wife and Kalyana VenkateswaraswamiTemple is where he got married. While the black rock cut architecture of allthese shrines is stunning, what impresses you the most is their size, cleanlinessand management of crowd. There are queues and tickets at most places, whichkeeps things a lot organised. The temple town of Kalhasti, a few kilometresaway, is a centre for the Kalamkari hand-painted textiles.

Page 5: divine The consort - marasaindia.com · or “the divine consort? ... The new hotel from East ... dokra and golden Kalamkari murals fill up the walls, has 121 rooms, suites and three

48 EXOTICA / JUNE 2015

TRAVEL

CITYSCAPE: But the riches of the holy abode of LordVenkateswara aren’t just limited to the beautification ofTirumala. In fact, their investment goes in the betterupkeep of the hills and beyond. Like most ofTirumala’s energy needs are met through solar, waterand wind power. Good accomodation is available foras little as `50 along with free transport and food.Tirupati, in the foothills, too has sufficient waterand power, an airport, good colleges, wellmaintained public places as well as a proposedmetro-rail. But along side all these urbanamenities, it’s the town’s amazing sense ofaesthetics, heritage and most importantlyORDER that really makes it Tirupati standout among temple towns across India. In fact,the municipal attention to sanitation and publicacceptance of queues here can be an eye-opener formost North Indians. Stroll down MG Road any timeof the day and the scent of jasmine and colour of buttonroses and tulsi hold you at every step. And history springs upunexpectedly in the form of old chaultries and mutts withstunning wood work amid fancy stores and restaurants. It isall this that won Tirupati the Best Heritage City award in2012-13. Turns out, modernity has settled here just as easily.

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49JUNE 2015 / EXOTICA

IN THE LAP OF LUXURY: Pilgrimage, oncewas a long, arduous journey usually taken for adevotional purpose at the fag end of life whenone was free of responsibilities. Improvement inmodes of commute and other amenities turned itinto a convenience. But augmented hospitalityservices are taking things to the next level. “Luxe Nirvana” as they call it, does not require apilgrim to give up on material comforts. “AtMarasa Sarovar Premiere in Tirupati, people can go about their spiritual pursuits sitting in the lap of luxury,” says general manager Rishu Roshan.

So you follow up your temple trail with anice swim, a relaxing spa, some amazing veg andnon-veg food from across the world and thengymming to shed the piled up calories. The newhotel from East Africa-based Madhwani Group is

themed around Dashavatar to go with themythological temper of the town. Which isreflected in divinity-inspired aesthetics of theproperty. The swimming pool is Matsya (fish);Lotus cafe is Narsimha (half lion/half man);indoor games area Varaah (boar); fitness centreParashuram (axe); vegetarian restaurant Krishna;spa Buddha and so on. The hotel where brassdokra and golden Kalamkari murals fill up thewalls, has 121 rooms, suites and three boardrooms, which are running packed these daysthanks to the summer rush.

With Tirupati set to become a majorrevenue generator for the newly bifurcatedAndhra state, the luxury hotel industry is eyeing abigger share of the region’s spiritual tourist pie.Marasa Sarovar Premiere, overlooking theTirumala hills, is likely to take the lead.