Swami Pushkarni Lake lies within the sacred premises of Thirumala Venkateswara Temple. A place of utmost reverence and religious significance, it’s believed that Lord Venkateswara himself bathed in this lake along with his consorts. In fact, the lake is considered to be as holy as the mighty River Ganges.

One of the holiest and most sacred Hindu pilgrimage temples in the world, the Thirumala Venkateswara Temple stands tall in full glory on the seventh peak, the Venkatachala, of the majestic Tirupati Hills.

Chandragiri was the fourth capital of Vijayanagar Empire and is most famous for its historical fort built in the 11th century as well as the Raja and Rani Palaces found within it. It was in the year 1646 when the fort was won over by the Golkonda territory and then came under Mysore rule. The Raja Mahal is now an archeological museum and is a brilliant example of Indo-Saracenic architecture of Vijayanagar period. The three-storeyed palace with its tall towers standing for certain Hindu architectural elements, was made of stone, brick and lime mortar. The Queen’s Palace or the Rani Mahal is just like the King’s Palace in terms of architecture.

Silathoranam is one of the few natural bridges or arches to be found in Asia. It’s a natural rock formation and has the peculiar shape that appears to be the hood of a serpent and a conch. This is perhaps why it is believed that the idol of Lord Venkateswara at the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is exactly of the same height as the Silathoranam.

With a 270 feet-fall, Talakona is the highest waterfall in Andhra Pradesh. The region has a serne quality and it was declared as a biosphere reserve in 1989-90 because of the rich variety of flora and fauna here. The forests here are home to some rare and endangered species of animals such as Slender Loris, Indian Giant Squirrel, Mouse Deer, Golden Gecko, Panther, Porcupine, Chital and Sambar. The forest has a large cover of sandalwood trees and medicinal plants.

This is the temple of Sri Padmavathi Devi, the consort of Lord Sri Venkateswara.The temple is about 5 kilometres away from Tirupati, and there’s a reason why it is located away from the Lord’s temple. Legend has it that the Lord (Sri Maha Vishnu, who later took on the incarnation of Sri Venkateswara) expressed his worship towards the sage, Bhrigu Maharshi, even though the sage had insulted Vishnu. This enraged his consort, Sri Maha Lakshmi, who went to Patala Loka, where she heard a divine voice stating that a pushkarini was dug on the banks of the river Swarnamukhi. So, she immersed herself here in penance for 12 years. In the 13th year Sri Padmavathi emerged from a golden lotus. It is also said that Goddess Mahalakshmi herself emerged as Sri Padmavathi.