India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (175 page)

WORLD’S WEALTHIEST TEMPLE: TIRUPATI

Situated on a peak of the Tirumalai Hills, overlooking Tirupati (just across the Tamil Nadu border into Andhra Pradesh), is the second busiest and richest religious center on earth (after the Vatican), drawing more than 10 million devoted pilgrims every year. Certainly the richest temple in the world, the Dravidian-style
Sri Venkateswara Temple
is said to be the heart of Hindu piety, but in many ways it appears to exist expressly for the collection of wealth connected to a legendary loan: Lord Venkateswara, the living form of Vishnu, apparently borrowed an enormous amount of money from the God of Wealth in order to secure a dowry for his bride. Devotees donate generously in order to help their god settle his debt—the loan must be repaid in full, with interest, before the end of this epoch. Annual donations of jewelry, cash, and gold (along with sales of
laddus
or sweets and donated human hair) total around 1.5 billion rupees. Much of this goes to the temple kitchens that prepare meals, free accommodations for pilgrims, and various charitable hospitals and schools.

The inner shrine is presided over by a diamond-ornamented 2m (61⁄2-ft.) black idol that stands at the end of a narrow passage. Pilgrims queue for hours, sometimes days, excitedly preparing for
darshan—
the extraordinarily brief moment when you’re all but pushed past the god by guards to ensure that the sanctum doesn’t become clogged with devotees, many of whom succumb to the moment by falling to the ground. Waiting amid the mass of anxious, highly charged pilgrims, you’ll get a good sense of the religious fervor of the Hindu faith. By the time you reach the moment of
darshan,
thousands of excited, expectant worshipers will be behind you, chanting Vishnu’s name. Once out of the inner shrine (one of the few in South India that non-Hindus can enter), you’ll make your way past a massive fish-tank-like enclosure, where temple clerks count the day’s takings—possibly the most cash you’re ever likely to see in one place.

Note:
As you’re waiting in line, you’ll see many shaven heads—it’s common practice for believers to have their heads tonsured before going before the deity as a devotional sacrifice. As a result, a lucrative human hair business contributes significantly to the temple coffers—Far East and Italian wig manufacturers are major consumers of world-renowned Tirumalai hair, shorn by a fleet of barbers permanently in the service of the temple.

Jumping the Queue

Wealthier pilgrims can now make use of a computerized virtual queue system that streamlines the darshan experience. Pilgrims buy an armband imprinted with their darshan time, shaving hours—even days—off their wait in line. Foreign visitors should bring their passports and appeal to the Assistant Executive Officer or A.E.O. (ask one of the temple police for directions) for a special darshan ticket, which costs anywhere from Rs 200 to Rs 4,000 depending on the kind of speedy access you request (you will also be fingerprinted and photographed at this stage; ask your hotel if you need to book this a day in advance). Paid for at a special counter, it cuts waiting time to around 2 hours. Note that men must wear long pants or lungis; women must be conservatively dressed with long skirts and shoulders covered. Prior to entering the queue, you’ll be asked to sign allegiance to the god. Avoid taking part if you suffer from claustrophobia, since you’ll still have to spend an hour or two within cagelike passages designed to prevent line-jumping. Temple activities commence at 3am with a wake-up call to the idol (suprabhatham) and continue until 12:45am the following morning. On Sundays the temple closes.

ESSENTIALS
For information you can log on to
www.ttdsevaonline.com
for tickets, but you’ll more than likely find everything sold out—in which case you can try calling the call center (
0877/223-3333
or 0877/227-7777, ext. 3679). The easiest ways to get here are by plane (the nearest airport, Renigunta, has regular flights from Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore); alternatively travel by train from Chennai (or Hyderabad, Bangalore, or Mumbai). To overnight, prebook a room at the dependable (and popular)
Fortune Kences
(
0877/225-5855;
www.fortuneparkhotels.in; [email protected]; doubles from around Rs 1,900), which is located in the heart of the town, near the temple, and draws the well-heeled devotees. Service is very good, and the hotel is comfortable (but not luxurious).

2 Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram)

51km (31 miles) S of Chennai

A visit to this once-thriving port city of the Pallavas, a dynasty that ruled much of South India between the 4th and 9th centuries
A.D
., is an excellent introduction to South Indian temple architecture, and the surrounding resorts offer a much more holiday atmosphere than Chennai. Established by Mamalla, “the Great Wrestler,” the tourist town of Mahabalipuram attracts thousands to view the earliest examples of monumental architecture in southern India—incredible rock-cut shrines that celebrate Hinduism’s sacred pantheon and legends. Even today, the descendents of these early sculptors continue to create carvings for temples, hotel foyers, and tourists; the sounds of sculptors chipping away at blocks of stone echo through the narrow lanes, an aural reminder of the sort of devoted craftsmanship that must have possessed the original masons who created the World Heritage monuments. It’s possible to survey the best monuments in a morning, provided you get an early start (ideally, long before domestic tourists arrive en masse around midmorning). This leaves you time to unwind on the pleasant beach and dine on a plate of simply prepared fresh seafood. You could even overnight, enjoying its charming village-like atmosphere, a million miles from the 21st-century hustle that is Chennai. Alternatively, you can move on to Pondicherry after lunch and be sipping Gallic cocktails before sundown.

En Route to Mahabalipuram: The East Coast Road Hop

Travelling between Chennai and Mahabalipuram along the East Coast Highway, you may want to schedule enough time for a number of interesting stops along the way. First up is
Cholamandalam Artists’ Village
(Injambakkam, 13km/8 miles south of Chennai;
044/2449-0092;
daily 9am–7pm), established in the 1960s and home to a community of some 20 artists, with a permanent exhibition of their paintings, sculpture, graphic arts, and batik. Further south is
Kalakshetra
(“Temple of Art”), a celebrated school for traditional music and dance “with the sole purpose of resuscitating in modern India recognition of the priceless artistic traditions of our country and of imparting to the young the true spirit of Art, devoid of vulgarity and commercialism.” It was set up in 1936 by the celebrated Rukmini Devi Arundale, who studied ballet under Russia’s great ballerina Anna Pavlova; on her return to Chennai she studied dasi attam (also known as Bharatnatyam), traditionally restricted to temple dancers, and regenerated interest in this classic dance form. Visitors interested in observing day classes are welcome by prior arrangement (the school has produced some of the country’s most revered modern-day dancers) and performances are regularly staged in the school’s auditorium. Visit
www.kalakshetra.net
for the calendar of events (Thiruvanmiyur, 29km/18 miles south of Chennai;
044/2491-1169
or -1836).