By the Grace of Lord Venkateswara (purely by His Grace) I made a wonderful trip to Tirupati from Chennai last Wednesday and I thought the details deserved to be shared. If you are planning a trip to Tirupati and Thirumala check RedBus‘s new pilgrimages offering. First of all I couldn’t believe they could offer a “confirmed sheegra darshan” ticket just two days prior to booking as all special darshan tickets on TTD’s website were sold out till the end of May. Check the current status of the “Sheegra Darshan” tickets here. I went with my gut instinct relying on the information on RedBus’s site and placing my trip at the feet of the Lord. Boy, was I in for a surprise? You Bet, I was!
Only after I made the booking did I look up reviews. They were appalling with pilgrims complaining about the food, the buses, the cancellations and what not. My worst fear was about the “Darshan” which I did not want to miss. Worst case I was even prepared to go through the 6 hour long “free darshan”. While printing out the ticket it mentioned that the “Sheegra Darshan” ticket would be sent separately via email 4 hours prior to the departure. I was very skeptical after reading all the horrible reviews particularly about Manish Travels. I even called TTDC and the lady who responded chided me for believing other sites, asking why I had to pay Rs. 750 in place of Rs. 300 for the “Sheegra Darshan” ticket and that it wall all fake. Somewhere in me, something was saying that it was not so.
As promised, the “Sheegra Darshan” ticket was sent to me via email hours before the departure. Let me also remind you that the “Sheegra Darshan” ticket costs Rs. 750 instead of the regular Rs. 300 from TTD. Consider it similar to the “Thathkal ticket” one gets from IRCTC. Also on RedBus’s site it says “APTDC Guided Sheegra Darshan”. I scoured the net for info and somewhere it read about a guide’s assistance. I was just excited for the adventure. Now here’s the deal, RedBus offers several packages to Tirupati ranging from Rs.1400 to Rs. 2700. The Rs. 750 is on top of this. The only caveat, I had to board the bus from Koyambedu. The drop off was also at Koyambedu, though there was an option for Thiruvanmiyur (Redbus needs to check and correct this). Also note that the “Sheegra Darshan” ticket will not mention anything about “Sheegra Darshan” but the amount Rs.750 paid is indicated along with AP Bus Travel Details. Just ignore the details of the bus.
So what comes with the package?
- To and fro bus travel. Both Manish (to Tirupati) and RKT (return trip) were wonderful. They were very punctual. On the return trip there are no stoppings. Manish had to be mentioned as there are so many bad comments written about them online. On the contrary they were very good, both staff and the bus. RKT did well too.
- Accommodation at a hotel for a complete day. (Tip – pay a little more and go for Air Conditioning as it was very hot in May)
- Pick up and drop off from bus stops to the hotel and back.
- Travel by govt. bus to the hill top and back.
- Breakfast and Lunch at the Hotel. (The lunch at the hotel SLV Grand was a surprise. I dread “Andhra” spices but the food was awesome.)
And here’s the best part. If you booked the Rs.750 “Sheegra Darshan” there is a guide who takes you all around ensuring your speedy entry. I was going to Tirupati after years (maybe 5 or even 6 yrs) and the place looked “alien” to me. Be it the “tonsuring”, getting past the various security check points, safekeeping of your valuables (phones, bags are all not allowed in the temple), buying “Dhoti” (yes, that’s compulsory for males now), the guide ensures everything is taken care of. After “Darshan” he is waiting with your Laddoo’s too. If you need extra Laddoo’s you can tell him and he’ll arrange for them. Even if he doesn’t we found atleast one guy going around selling laddoo’s in black. The guide does ask for a tip and why wouldn’t you not tip him. It is not mandatory either. One other couple from Bangalore also took the package as I did and the guide grouped and served us together.
From the moment he dropped us at the final check point after which he couldn’t be with us, it just took an hour to see the Lord. It was just incredible! It felt like a blessing from the Lord.
So if you are looking for a quick, comfortable and elegant tour to Tirupati, look no further, take a package from RedBus. The link to the pilgrimages page is here.
P.S – Is there anything flawed about this package. Yes, one tiny bit. DO NOT try and reach RedBus on their hotline. They are unreachable.
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