Tirumala- Lord of Lords Shri Venkateshwara 🙏 - SriVari Metlu

What can I say about this place , heaven on earth I guess. It is so difficult describe something which so close to your heart. Any ways will try..

He is our family Diety and I’ve visited this place few times when i was kid, may be when I was in 2nd grade I had visited last. Then came drought times where in couldn’t see him till I started working for the first time.. Thanks to a friend who took me their again and ended the long waiting time. They say when he wants him see you then only one can be able to have his Darshan. I think that true in my case.

After this visit, I haven’t looked back since then and have lost count how many times I’ve been to him. I think yearly twice or thrice I am vsisting him and all his grace and so thankful and I owe myself to him. (My parents say I am born because of his blessings)

It’s a beautiful experience every time I visit Tirumala.( will try to write about it)

Cutting short to the recent experience of Tirumala visit. 

All of sudden 26th March 2023 my friend called and said let’s go to Tirumala. Whenever someone calls me to visit this place,  I will say yes irrespective of what I am into. So we started at 12.30 am in the night and reached at 4am. My friend wanted climb mountain through Alipiri steps which is around 3800 steps and 8 to 9 km distance. By the time we reached I was drained out due to running 18k running in One8 run which happened on nice road in the morning and driving entire night. I said I need sleep but he wanted to start early morning to beat the summer heat. I requested him to go with other friends which he agreed and they started climbing by 7.30am and here in room I went to much needed sleep. 

I worke up at 9.30am and started regretting instantlyf for saying no to him. Which I do most of the times 😣. (Life is full of regrets)

Then went into planning mode, 

a) Dont want to sit in the room entire day with full of regrets.

b) Start alipiri steps and try to catch them.

c) or take Sri Vari Mettlu route.(story is lord Venkappa went up after marrying goddess Padmavati Amma by taking these steps)

Chose option C, since I always wanted experience going by this route. So drove 20km to this place from Tirupati and parked vechile and started climbing. 

As per Google research , around 1.30 to 2hours it’ll take to reach to the top they said and climb is steep they said. So my idea is to reach in around 2 hours and meet my friends on top by then. 

There’s a Venkateshwara temple in the beginning of steps, took his blessings and there was Pongal rice as Prasad they were giving , this was much needed since I just had tea in the morning also thought it’s also his way of feeding his devotees I felt. Had two small cups of the same and started climbing..

Initial steps were like easy till 500 steps , btw it’s around 2500 stpeps climb. Didn’t feel anything till 600 steps. Google also said steep climbing will start after 600 steps so I was prepared a bit. 

One needs to be barefoot to enjoy the experience, by the time you climb few steps one’s foot will be coloured with Kumkum and Arishina(haldi), I guess it worked as treatment to foot as well. One can feel the steps softness and one can imagine how many devotees must have stepped on it make it soft. By then the steep clim has started and I could feel my heart rate going up slowly..

Mean time the crowd was very less so one can enjoy the experience and in which few devotees were having full filling different wishes by applying Haldi kumkum to every step , I was blown  away from their dedication and Bhakti and Seva ..

I was trying take energy from them helping my self to go up. I was just climbing but they are doing so much to Lord. By then I started sweating 😓 

Mean time idea was not to take break by sitting and indulging different drinks like cold drinks, butter milk, mango water etc  and eating mango, peanuts etc. But one has to enjoy all this to have good memorable experience. 

There’s water taps every 100 steps and bathrooms every 300 steps or so so drank only from tap water and trust me it tastes much better than bottled water. I just took one bathroom break in mean time. 

By the time I was crossing 1500 steps . From here there’s no walking business other than climbing and climbing. Few young kids were jogged and over took me , I was thinking shall also jog then my running experience said don’t be stupid. So just kept my head down climbing, but by then I met those kids further up sitting aside and sweating bullets and refreshing them self with cold drinks. 

Then I could see people sitting beside and seeing my face with amusing expressions, their expressions was saying it all.. how difficult it is to climb and how one feels impossible to go up. I was just smiling at them and moving ahead. This is what one can do in life right.. just look down and keep moving forward .

By then I was reaching 2000 steps and heart was reaching 160bpm. But then got some company to take break ..

For me it’s always good signs to see Bajrangbahlis(monkey gods) . I am also Bhakta of Neem Karoli Baba(will write about him soon) so I feel his presence with me whenever I meet monkey gods. His message is be Fear less come what may, he is with me. So taking that inspiration started moving ahead. By then met these devotees who were lighting karpura (kind of flame) at every step. One member of the family was putting karpura and another member will be lighting the same. What a Bhakti and what an inspiration..
And it gives welcoming feeling for the person who’s gasping for air , the aroma of it at that time feels like these people must have been waiting for me to welcome..Meaning time saw one person was climbing with help from his knees ..
How can one do this !!! What it takes to do this!! I was just blown away , felt like nothing.. They say lord gives immense strength to do impossible things here , only thing is to take leep of faith then rest Lord will take care. Here also and in life also this applies I guess.Moreover without taking his name Govinda one can’t move further I felt and did to most of the steps.Mean time I was wet with sweating and zoned in some other place, other than observing breath and heart rate  which was beating around 165bpm. 
Every 250 to 500 steps there’s sign boards which says how many steps you conquered and how many will conquer you. On the steps too one can see carvings of numbers here and there. I was crossing 2100 steps and I could see all other devotee’s sitting and seeing faces. Their expressions was like saying so may sorties, suffering, the challenge etc. It’s always feels like this when you’re about cross the finish line. Idea is to keep moving , doesn’t matter how fast your growing until you’re moving ahead. Some one said run, walk or drag but don’t stop.With that in mind I was like will not stop doesn’t matter how steep the steps or life is. Just kept pushing myself slowly and steadily. Mean time I could see signage saying 100 steps more. Feeling was like amazing. Then I reached where I couldn’t see any more steps ahead..
I was in disbelief at the same time because I checked my tracker (runners thing to track everything they do, doesn’t matter what) so I had tracker on and it said 54 min ..
I was not beku what it was saying , 54 min to climb seven hills of lord is not a joke. I asked tea stall guy , is there any steps ahead , he was like nothing just go in front you’ll get Main Road of the hill which goes to temple.. I was on cloud nine plus practically also I was in cloud nine. It’s very difficult to explain it in words so see pics..
Heart was filled with amazing things , not it’s not happiness but something else and can’t discribe it. I was thankful to Lord Venkateshwara for this amazing opportunity and experience which doesn’t come easily..The story continues..