SRS Tirupathi Package
Bus: KA01 AC 5125 (Volvo B9R Seater)
Start Time : 22:30/00:05
Return Time: 21:30/21:15
Fare : 1400(got 5% discount on redbus so was 1330)x2
I am a regular visitor to the Thirupathi Balaji temple. Normally it is on the KaSRTC volvos. Due to the anti-telangana agitation KaSRTC and APSRTC services have all been cancelled. So decided to take an package option. So the choices were between SRS, Rajesh, Seabird and Greenline. Have done trips with Rajesh and SRS before and so booked 2 seats on the SRS Service as my wife was going to be with me.
The boarding point I chose was Indiranagar with a 22:30 boarding.
Around 18:30 I received an call from SRS Race course road office, informing of a delayed departure. He told me due to the Anti telgnana the bus coming from Tirupati was delayed by 1 hour and the bus was scheduled to leave from Race course road by only 11:30 or so. He asked me whee i live ? when I told him he suggested that since Indiranagar was a road side pickup , I could better go to the race course road office or KR puram office and wait there. I told him I will think and let him know . He said he will call me in 10 min .
In 10 min got the call from the same guy. Told him will come to Anandrao circle. I also got a confirmation message with the revised departure time and boarding point. I booked an Meru at 22:45 to ARC. But I was so happy for having chosen , SRS. This was where the guy in SRS office was able to turn an 1 hour late departure in to a positive feeling for me.
We left home by 22:40 and headed through to SRS Race course road office. The office is loacted in the Swiss complex , which houses the office of Rajesh, Seabird(itdc) etc. Told my seat numbers and the office guy gave me an ticket print out and asked me to wait. My wife used the wash room and told me it was pretty neat. I chatted up with the manager and he pulled up the system and showed me the GPS info of the bus. He also told me that it being September 30, most buses would have their interstate permit end , so there may be a lot of changes to happen in the next few days. Just past 23:30 the bus passed on the opposite direction towards ARC for dropping and picking passengers.
The bus arrived at 23:55 and left in a quick 10 min. I had booked seat numbers 1 and 2. As we sat down, the attendant handed out half liter water bottles along with biscuit pack and namkeens. We drove through the city getting straight to tin factory. Here we picked up two passengers. This was the cleaner and the driver shouting for passengers. Also heard the driver tell the cleaner to tell the SRS office guy in KRpuram and pay him his cut of Rs 200. We reached KRpuram SRS office by 00:25 and the bus was full. worst they had 1 extra passenger on the bus . The passenger was accommodated in the cleaners seat and the cleaner was sitting on the gangway. This was really irritating for me as I could not stretch my legs . In this regard VRL is the only service where I never found crew being greedy to get some money by picking passengers.
We reached Tirupathi by 04:30. The bus was stopped at Adithya residency hotel (http://www.adithyaresidency.in/index.php). The package passengers were asked to disembark here. We were given an room for an hour to have and shower and get ready. By 5:30 people assembled and we left to Alamelumangapuram temple. The guide informed everyone that we would need to pay Rs 25 per head for special entry tickets to the temple. Payed the money and got to have an early morning Darshan of Goddess Padmavathi. Had very divine darshan and walked out.Now we got back on to the bus and we were taken back to the hotel for breakfast. Breakfast was idli,Vada, dosa, upma and coffee/tea. After having a hearty bfast we got back on to the bus .
We drove on to Alipiri, at the base of the hills. Here we shift in to a APSRTC ghat eligible bus. One of the biggest problems in Tirupathi because of strike is the less number of buses operating on the Ghats. They had a APSRTC bus waiting for them outside and we were transferred to this bus.After the 30 of us boarded the bus went in to the Alipiri bus stand and the few remaining seats were occupied and then the the APSRTC staff had to shout at standing passengers to get down. We cleared through security check at Alipiri at 07:10 and proceeded towards tirumala. We reached Tirumala by 08:20 and were dropped at the Ram bageecha bus stand. Here they distributed the money for the tickets and then took us to the queue. (Another guy took the people who wanted to shave their heads, got it done and bought them back.
We were in the queue at about 8 :45 and the queue had stretched all the way up to the shopping complex. The queue started moving only by 9:30 and it moved at food pace. By around 10 is while we were near the ATC(alwar tank cottages)stairs the queue was stopped for almost and hour and we sat down. TTD served pilgrims with hot milk and upma or Khara Bath over here.The queue started moving only by around 11:10. After this we went through the path in ATC towards the Alwar Tank and after crossing through the FOB. Here too the queue kept moving pretty fast and were into Vaikuntam 1 ticket counter by 11:45. Took the tickets and went through. Here by chance met with an TTD employee who was known to me from before.He told me that today being that last Tuesday before Brhamotsavam starts it was day for tirumanjanam(ritual cleaning of the temple with 8 herbs) and the temple would open to pilgrims by 12:00 only. He took us ( me and wife) to the end of the queue complex near the stairs. Here there was very little crowd as only one queue was open. We quickly moved through and went in to the temple with no pushing or pulling(after a long time).
Inside the temple it was a Divine experience as the temple smelled of Camphor and all the other herbs. Darshan was peaceful!!!
After this came out and got Sharkarpongal (sweet pongal) for prasdam. The previous day being Ekadeshi there was dosa also being sold. We got a couple as well. Walked out and got the Ladoos. (Had asked the guide to get extra ladoos so could avoid that huge crew). From here walked to the Woodside Restaurant next to the SV Museum for lunch. Had an amazing andhra Style lunch. Then took an Jeep and got back to Ram Bageecha bus stand. We were the first people to be there. Later we left for Tirupathi by APSRTC. We reached Alipir by 14:45 . Here we boarded the SRS B9R and were taken to Aditya Residency for Lunch. On the way to the hotel the guide requested us to pay Rs 20 per person to pay off the APSRTC drivers due to the strike.Payed him. We waited in the reception as people went to finish lunch and came back. We started back from Aditya Residency at 3:40 and left to the bus stand .
We picked up passengers from SRS office near the bus stand and left for Bangalore at 16:00. Here the driver first was asked to go through Madnapalee by the guide , but later he followed the Seabird and other volvos through the regular Chittor route. i was tired and slept off for some time. By the time I woke up , we were on the Chitoor bye-pass , but it was 17:45 , some delay might be at the Level crossing is what i guessed. I was a little tense as the 'Telegana' issue was still boiling in Chittoor and surrounding areas, and had heard about an VRL BLR-Vijaywada service being stoned near Bangarupalyam 2 days back. We though were not stopped any where on the way though. We proceeded slowly through Bangarupalayam and Palmneer and crossed in back to Karnataka by 18:45. a little past this we stopped at hotel Sri Lakshmi Sagar at 19:00 and we left at 19:20. We crossed Kolar by 20:05 and was dropped at old madras road /80 feet road intersection at 21:00.
By 21:15 was back home after a divine Darshan.
Bus: KA01 AC 5125 (Volvo B9R Seater)
Start Time : 22:30/00:05
Return Time: 21:30/21:15
Fare : 1400(got 5% discount on redbus so was 1330)x2
I am a regular visitor to the Thirupathi Balaji temple. Normally it is on the KaSRTC volvos. Due to the anti-telangana agitation KaSRTC and APSRTC services have all been cancelled. So decided to take an package option. So the choices were between SRS, Rajesh, Seabird and Greenline. Have done trips with Rajesh and SRS before and so booked 2 seats on the SRS Service as my wife was going to be with me.
The boarding point I chose was Indiranagar with a 22:30 boarding.
Around 18:30 I received an call from SRS Race course road office, informing of a delayed departure. He told me due to the Anti telgnana the bus coming from Tirupati was delayed by 1 hour and the bus was scheduled to leave from Race course road by only 11:30 or so. He asked me whee i live ? when I told him he suggested that since Indiranagar was a road side pickup , I could better go to the race course road office or KR puram office and wait there. I told him I will think and let him know . He said he will call me in 10 min .
In 10 min got the call from the same guy. Told him will come to Anandrao circle. I also got a confirmation message with the revised departure time and boarding point. I booked an Meru at 22:45 to ARC. But I was so happy for having chosen , SRS. This was where the guy in SRS office was able to turn an 1 hour late departure in to a positive feeling for me.
We left home by 22:40 and headed through to SRS Race course road office. The office is loacted in the Swiss complex , which houses the office of Rajesh, Seabird(itdc) etc. Told my seat numbers and the office guy gave me an ticket print out and asked me to wait. My wife used the wash room and told me it was pretty neat. I chatted up with the manager and he pulled up the system and showed me the GPS info of the bus. He also told me that it being September 30, most buses would have their interstate permit end , so there may be a lot of changes to happen in the next few days. Just past 23:30 the bus passed on the opposite direction towards ARC for dropping and picking passengers.
The bus arrived at 23:55 and left in a quick 10 min. I had booked seat numbers 1 and 2. As we sat down, the attendant handed out half liter water bottles along with biscuit pack and namkeens. We drove through the city getting straight to tin factory. Here we picked up two passengers. This was the cleaner and the driver shouting for passengers. Also heard the driver tell the cleaner to tell the SRS office guy in KRpuram and pay him his cut of Rs 200. We reached KRpuram SRS office by 00:25 and the bus was full. worst they had 1 extra passenger on the bus . The passenger was accommodated in the cleaners seat and the cleaner was sitting on the gangway. This was really irritating for me as I could not stretch my legs . In this regard VRL is the only service where I never found crew being greedy to get some money by picking passengers.
We reached Tirupathi by 04:30. The bus was stopped at Adithya residency hotel (http://www.adithyaresidency.in/index.php). The package passengers were asked to disembark here. We were given an room for an hour to have and shower and get ready. By 5:30 people assembled and we left to Alamelumangapuram temple. The guide informed everyone that we would need to pay Rs 25 per head for special entry tickets to the temple. Payed the money and got to have an early morning Darshan of Goddess Padmavathi. Had very divine darshan and walked out.Now we got back on to the bus and we were taken back to the hotel for breakfast. Breakfast was idli,Vada, dosa, upma and coffee/tea. After having a hearty bfast we got back on to the bus .
We drove on to Alipiri, at the base of the hills. Here we shift in to a APSRTC ghat eligible bus. One of the biggest problems in Tirupathi because of strike is the less number of buses operating on the Ghats. They had a APSRTC bus waiting for them outside and we were transferred to this bus.After the 30 of us boarded the bus went in to the Alipiri bus stand and the few remaining seats were occupied and then the the APSRTC staff had to shout at standing passengers to get down. We cleared through security check at Alipiri at 07:10 and proceeded towards tirumala. We reached Tirumala by 08:20 and were dropped at the Ram bageecha bus stand. Here they distributed the money for the tickets and then took us to the queue. (Another guy took the people who wanted to shave their heads, got it done and bought them back.
We were in the queue at about 8 :45 and the queue had stretched all the way up to the shopping complex. The queue started moving only by 9:30 and it moved at food pace. By around 10 is while we were near the ATC(alwar tank cottages)stairs the queue was stopped for almost and hour and we sat down. TTD served pilgrims with hot milk and upma or Khara Bath over here.The queue started moving only by around 11:10. After this we went through the path in ATC towards the Alwar Tank and after crossing through the FOB. Here too the queue kept moving pretty fast and were into Vaikuntam 1 ticket counter by 11:45. Took the tickets and went through. Here by chance met with an TTD employee who was known to me from before.He told me that today being that last Tuesday before Brhamotsavam starts it was day for tirumanjanam(ritual cleaning of the temple with 8 herbs) and the temple would open to pilgrims by 12:00 only. He took us ( me and wife) to the end of the queue complex near the stairs. Here there was very little crowd as only one queue was open. We quickly moved through and went in to the temple with no pushing or pulling(after a long time).
Inside the temple it was a Divine experience as the temple smelled of Camphor and all the other herbs. Darshan was peaceful!!!
After this came out and got Sharkarpongal (sweet pongal) for prasdam. The previous day being Ekadeshi there was dosa also being sold. We got a couple as well. Walked out and got the Ladoos. (Had asked the guide to get extra ladoos so could avoid that huge crew). From here walked to the Woodside Restaurant next to the SV Museum for lunch. Had an amazing andhra Style lunch. Then took an Jeep and got back to Ram Bageecha bus stand. We were the first people to be there. Later we left for Tirupathi by APSRTC. We reached Alipir by 14:45 . Here we boarded the SRS B9R and were taken to Aditya Residency for Lunch. On the way to the hotel the guide requested us to pay Rs 20 per person to pay off the APSRTC drivers due to the strike.Payed him. We waited in the reception as people went to finish lunch and came back. We started back from Aditya Residency at 3:40 and left to the bus stand .
We picked up passengers from SRS office near the bus stand and left for Bangalore at 16:00. Here the driver first was asked to go through Madnapalee by the guide , but later he followed the Seabird and other volvos through the regular Chittor route. i was tired and slept off for some time. By the time I woke up , we were on the Chitoor bye-pass , but it was 17:45 , some delay might be at the Level crossing is what i guessed. I was a little tense as the 'Telegana' issue was still boiling in Chittoor and surrounding areas, and had heard about an VRL BLR-Vijaywada service being stoned near Bangarupalyam 2 days back. We though were not stopped any where on the way though. We proceeded slowly through Bangarupalayam and Palmneer and crossed in back to Karnataka by 18:45. a little past this we stopped at hotel Sri Lakshmi Sagar at 19:00 and we left at 19:20. We crossed Kolar by 20:05 and was dropped at old madras road /80 feet road intersection at 21:00.
By 21:15 was back home after a divine Darshan.
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