Walking up to Tirumala

నడక మార్గం

Climbing the hill on foot as the vow itself, rather than taking the road. Two routes, around 3,500 steps on the longer one, and a free darshan queue at the top for those who walk.

Before you take this on

  • Leopard attacks on the footpath are documented by the temple itself. Its press releases record a child attacked in June 2023 and an ex-gratia payment of ten lakh rupees to the parents of a victim in September 2023.
  • The trust has spent ₹3.75 crore on lighting, camera traps and outposts, and has reviewed closing the routes to entry after 6 p.m. Reported restrictions include a 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. window for children under twelve, supervised group trekking after 2 p.m., wooden staves issued for self-defence, and closure after 9:30 p.m.
  • The routes close in heavy rain, sometimes at short notice.
  • No official figure exists for how long the climb takes, and no advisory on hot stone underfoot for those walking barefoot.

What you do

  1. Start at Tirupati and choose a route. Alipiri Mettu is the long one, around 3,500 steps; Srivari Mettu is shorter.
  2. Collect a Divya Darshan token in person, with your Aadhaar card. Ten thousand a day are issued at Galigopuram on the Alipiri route and five thousand on Srivari Mettu.
  3. Hand your luggage to the free transport service if you are carrying any.
  4. Climb. There are shelter points, drinking water and medical assistance along the way.
  5. Present your token at the top for the free Divya Darshan queue.

Before you start

  • An Aadhaar card, in person, for the token.
  • Scanning partway up on the Srivari Mettu route, at the 1,200th step.

Why it is done

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams

The temple states the practice and its purpose and nothing more: many pilgrims walk up the hills to fulfil vows they have taken, and the trust built the footpath from Alipiri for them. No origin account, no founding date and no builder is given by the temple or found in any text reached. Who laid the Alipiri steps, and when, could not be established either.

  • Temple administration: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, Vows — the footpath from Alipiri built for pilgrims walking to fulfil vows tirumala.org · seen 2026-09-18

Put simply

Instead of taking the bus up the hill, you walk — and the walking is the promise you are keeping.

Where it is observed

Sources

  • Temple administration: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams press release, 'TTD begins Divya Darshan tokens', 1 April 2023 — daily token quotas and the Aadhaar requirement news.tirumala.org · seen 2026-09-18
  • Temple administration: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams press release, 'More devotee safety steps in footpath', 8 January 2024 — lighting, camera traps and outposts against wild animal attack news.tirumala.org · seen 2026-09-18
  • Press: Business Today, 'From wooden stick to trek timing: Tirupati announces new rules for devotees', 15 August 2023 businesstoday.in · seen 2026-09-18

All practices