Vana Tirupati - The new abode of Lord Venkateshwara in South Tamil Nadu

This is my first post. Going forward, I would like to publish several posts relating to various interesting places I have travelled covering a wide gamut of trips, including religious places, fun destinations, places of great architectural marvel, adventure getaways and so on.

It is always tough to begin...As I browse through my memory for the right trip to highlight as my first post, the thought that strikes my mind immediately is my recent visit to Vana Tirupati...Yes, you heard it right...it is the new Tirupati that has emerged in South Tamil Nadu.Vana Tirupati loosely translates into Tirupati of the forest. Well, the location however does not really resemble a forest and is relatively well accessible.

REACHING THERE: Vana Tirupati is located at Punnai Nagar in Thoothukudi District in South Tamil Nadu. It comes under the province of Tiruchendur. The best means to reach here is by road. The nearest major towns are Tirunelveli and Tiruchendur. If you start in either direction, catch the Tirunelveli - Tiruchendur highway. At Kurumbur (near the Kurumbur Petrol Station), proceed on the Kurumbur-Nazreth main road. On the 5th km, the new Vana Tirupati temple would welcome you. The nearest rail head would be Kurumbur and Nazreth stations located on either side of the temple. Chennai-Tiruchendur Express and Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur passengers would stop by both these stations.

HISTORY: The temple has been constructed very recently although I am not sure of the exact year of its origin. The temple has been built by Hotel Saravan Bhavan (HSB), one of the famous restaurant chains of Chennai. Punnai Nagar happens to be the native place of the owners of the hotel, and this explains the construction of the temple in this village.

THE PREMISE: For Chennaites and those who are familiar with HSB or those who have visited the Vadapalani Murugan Temple (which is maintained by HSB), the first thing that would strike them as they reach Vana Tirupati is the uniform of the security guard and the manager of the temple. It is in line with the HSB practice. The small stream of water at the entrance of the temple (a la Vadapalani Murugan temple) and the style of flooring all strongly bear the HSB stamp.

The temple has a twin tower entrance, each leading to one of the two primary deities of the temple. In between the two towers, right at the front of the temple, is the small sanctum for Lord Vinayaka. As you proceed through the first tower, you would reach the sanctum of Lord Venkateshwara, known here as Srinivasa Perumal. The striking feature of the idol is its strong resemblance with that of Tirupati Balaji. Great care has been taken to replicate the idol as close as possible to the original Tirupati Balaji idol, including the height of the idol and other finer details. The poojas performed here are also largely in sync with that of Tirupati.

The real difference however is that while in Tirupati it is tough to catch a glimpse of the lord, at Vana Tirupati, one can have a very peaceful darshan up, close and personal and at your own pace. With all the wonderful jewel and floral decorations, Srinivasa Perumal is a great sight and one could stand immersed in lord's beautiful form all day long.

The second tower leads to the sanctum of Adhi Narayana. The blue coloured idol is sure to invoke memories of Guruvayurappa. Apart from the two primary deities, one could also find idols of Vadapalani Murugan, Lordess Lakshmi and a few village gods, as one moves around the sanctums. Interestingly, an idol of Kirubananda Variar is also found in the temple.

TEMPLE AND POOJA TIMINGS: The Temple is open from 7:00AM to 8:00PM, with no intermittent closure. In general, poojas are performed five times in a day at 7:00AM, 9:30AM, 12:30PM, 6:30PM and 8:00PM. Ladoos are offered as Prasadam.

AMENITIES: Opposite the temple premise there are small rest houses for visitors to stay, if required. Next to the temple, there are decent options for one to have a quick bite or to freshen up.

ADDITIONAL NEAR-BY VISIT: One could also visit the Nagakanni Amman temple located close to Vana Tirupati. It is located just a few meters away from Vana Tirupati. It is generally visited by those with Ragu-Kethu doshas. This temple is also maintained by HSB.

SCHEDULING YOUR TRIP: The best way to schedule your trip to Vana Tirupati is to combine it with Nava Tirupati and Tiruchendur. Nava Tirupati represents nine temples of Lord Vishnu, each being associated with a particular planet (will post more on this later), while Tiruchendur is the famous sea-shore temple of Lord Muruga. The best way to plan the trip would be to start from Tirunelveli, complete the Nava Tirupati circuit, visit the Vana Tirupati (around 20 kms away) and then proceed to Tiruchendur (around 15 kms away).

Hope you have a great darshan at Vana Tirupati.

Any suggestions/comments to refine this post is highly welcome!!!