If you are not aware of the mythology behind the temple of Tiruchanur, where the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi resides, then you must know it and give this temple the top most preference in visiting it, indeed even more than the prime temple of Lord Venkateshwara in Tirumala.
After encountering Sage Bhrigu's disrespectful behaviour towards Lord Vishnu, Maa Lakshmi became furious and left Vaikunta out of anger. That's how the incarnation of Goddess Padmavati happened in the first place. After she came down to earth, she was born to the then King of Tirupati, Akasha Raja. Later, she married Srinivasa, who is the next incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The legend says that was how the fates of Vishnu and Lakshmi met to become wives and husbands and be together in their successive incarnations. So, it was Lakshmi who initiated this beautiful mythological event on earth. As she was the one who came to earth first, before Lord Venkateshwara, people who visit Tirupati must first visit this temple at Tiruchanur.
If you ever plan to have a Tirupati Darshan, you must obey Goddess Padmavathi at Tiruchanur in Tirupati suburbs before going to Tirumala hills. As per the legend, even whenever I plan to Tirupati, I visit this temple first. Indeed, visiting this temple on a Friday is very promising as it is the dearest day for Goddess Lakshmi. And this temple spills that vibe of feminine energy and spiritual representation of wealth.
One can book tickets to this temple online and offline, too. Booking for a Supatham darshan of 200/- rupees is available online through the TTD application. If it is not possible, then at the temple counters, you can take tickets of 50/- rupees for special darshan and 200/- for superteam darshan. There are also queues for free darshan. The ticket rates are decided here according to the waiting time, the queue length, and the temple's flow. But in the end, all the people merge in front of the main sanctum sanctorum.
Tiruchanur is a suburb, a little away from the central city, but one can find public transportation and auto rickshaws connecting to this place. You can also book transportation using taxi applications. Four gateways allow devotees to enter the temple premises. It's always better to get down at Gate 2, where you can submit your gadgets and bags and secure your footwear. The temple staff is rigorous in terms of allowing any gadget. If they find any mobile or camera in the queue, they will stop and make sure you submit, as has happened with me once.
To the opposite of those counters, you can find a vast hall, with barricades allowing the devotees and visitors to ticketing counters that sell darshan tickets. Free darshan people can directly join the queue from Gate 1. But if you want a special darshan and booked for superteam darshan, you should enter from Gate 2 hall. The temple is well organized and comes under the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. All the worshipping rituals also happen according to the TTD pandit trust. With its vast inner and outer premises, this temple is constantly flooded with people. Outside Gate 3, one can find flowers, fruits and pooja materials to buy for offering to the Goddess. People generally buy Lotus with a rose in it for Goddess Padmavathi, as she is named after Lotus. Here, the Goddess is also called Alamelu Manga, and Tiruchanur was once Alamelu Mangapuram, 4km away from Tirupati.
The other temples of Balarama Krishna, Kalyana Venkateshwara, Garudalwar, Andal also exist inside the temple complex. I was fortunate enough to visit this family both in the daytime and at night. This temple looks radiant at any time and remains cool all the time because of its high ceilings and ancient stone architecture. Constructed around the Vijayanagara era, this temple holds firmly, and its pillars describe various mythological tales.
It is believed that the Goddess has self-manifested herself in the golden Lotus of the Pushkarini, the temple tank filled with water where many rituals for the Goddess happen on all auspicious days. It is also believed that Lord Suryanarayana Swamy has helped to make the lotus bloom to its fullest. On the eastern side of the Pushkarini, one can find the Sun God's temple near Gate 1 towards Netaji Nagar.
This temple carries mythological history tales everywhere, and that's the very reason why people keep visiting this temple every day, especially the ones who visit Tirumala temple without giving it a miss. As she is the wife of Lord Venkateshwara, skipping this temple makes one's Tirumala visit incomplete. Inside the temple, you can find spiritual happiness after visiting the Goddess, and it is believed that all your financial obstacles end as she is the Goddess of wealth and blesses people with abundance.
My favourite part is the Prasaadam. The Pandits give Puliogare made out of tamarind and pepper. It tastes yummy to the core. The volunteer staff also give packets of kumkum to devotees as a token of blessings from the Goddess Padmavati. So, once you leave the main queue after having your darshan, remember to form a queue for the blessings and prasaadam. And don't rush; spend some time at the temple premises and visit all the other temples inside. Meditate for some time at one of the pillars.
I was fortunate to witness a few festive rituals every time I visited this temple. I spend around 3 hours in and around the temple premises to grab all the feminine energy and the aura of the Goddess. You can find Gajalakshmi, the elephant outside the temple that wanders around to worship rituals and bless devotees.
Exteriors of the temple always spill the hush and rush of people lighting diyas in front of the entrance, vendors selling items in their respective stalls, women selling flowers and fruits, and food stalls selling drinks and snacks. One can find almost everything around the temple including hotels to stay and restaurants to eat. The shopping spree around the temple complex's sides is fantastic. The brass items, idols, frames, rangoli items, miniatures, toys, beads, threads, males, bangles, and home decor items are famous at the shopping complex of Padmavati temple. I bought many idols from this place, and if you bargain correctly, you can get some good deals on almost all the items.
Opposite Gate 3, you can find a garden and a park called Padmavati Vanam. On the other side of the temple, you can discover Padmasarovaram, the koneru, or the water pond where Goddess Padmavati self-manifested herself in a Golden lotus. Also, remember to pay a visit to the Lord Suryanarayana Swamy temple and receive a sweet as his blessing.
I can elaborate on everything about this temple clearly because of the time I spent observing the little details, not just as a spiritual person but as an ardent lover of mythologies, travel and architecture.
And the upcoming blogs will take you to a different world of Tirupati! So stay tuned!
