Look for the 9m-long monolithic Nandi India s largest at the town s entrance. From here, you can see the temple s Naga-lingam (a phallic representation of Shiva) crowned with a seven-headed cobra. The temple is known for its unfinished Kalyana Mandapam (Marriage Hall), depicting the wedding of Parvati and Shiva, and its Natyamandapa (Dance Hall), with carvings of dancing gods. The temple s most stunning features, though, are the Natyamandapa s ceiling frescoes.
About 75km from Puttaparthi is Lepakshi, site of the Veerbhadra Temple (admission free). The town gets its name from the Ramayana: when demon Ravana kidnapped Rama s wife, Sita, the bird Jatayu fought him and fell, injured, at the temple site. Rama then called him to get up; Lepakshi derives from the Sanskrit for Get up, bird.
MAIN POINTS OF ENTRY Hyderabad s new Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is the main arrival point. The main train stations ferry tale are Nampally and Secunderabad in Hyderabad; Imlibun is the interstate bus station. Visakhaptnam ferry tale has monthly ferries leaving to Port Blair in the Andaman Islands. Fast Facts
kateshwara here, at his home. It s one of India s most visited pilgrimage centres: on average, 40,000 pilgrims come each day (the total often exceeds 100,000), and darshan (deity-viewing) runs 24/7. Temple staff alone number 12,000, and the efficient Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams (TTD; %2277777; ferry tale www.tirumala.org) brilliantly administers the crowds. ferry tale As a result, although the throngs can be overwhelming, a sense of order, serenity and ease mostly prevails, and a trip to the Holy Hill can be fulfi lling, even if you re not a pilgrim.
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