Tirumala Temple: A Study of Pilgrimage Tourism

Tirumala is a well known religious centre in India or possibly in the world. It is also busiest religious centre round the year. Lord Venkateswara is most visited temple in the world. On an average 70000 devotees everyday with figure reaching 4.5 lakhs during the Annual Brahmotsavams. It is the holy pilgrimage centre in India. The book is designed to make an attempt at the micro-level to understand and critically examine the various features relating to pilgrimage tourism in Tirumala and Tiruapati. The study covers the history of Tirumala Temple Organization of TTD amenities that are being provided to the pilgrims by the TTD the development that takes place to cater to the needs of pilgrims the importance of the temple in the world. The investments and utilization of TTD funds for the benefit of pilgrims have been reviewed analytically. The Present investigation depends upon both primary and secondary data colleted from the various sources. To proceed with the collection of primary data a preliminary survey was conducted at Tirumala to have a general idea about pilgrimage tourism in Tirumala. Based on this primary survey interview schedule were constructed. After testing the schedule in the field some questions are found inadequate. Therefore several questions were modified a few questions were added and some questions were deleted in the schedule thus finalized and found appropriate for obtaining information on various aspects of the study. Dr. Thimmappa Valmiki is working as Assistant Professor on Contract at Sri Venkateswara University Tirupati where he has been affiliated since 2014. He holds a Ph.D. in History from the same institution (awarded in 2013) and specializes in tourism studies with a focus on pilgrimage marine and community-based tourism in India. Dr. Thimmappai has authored one book and 21 research articles published in national and international journals. His notable works include Religious Tourism in Chittoor District: Problems and Prospects and studies on topics such as marine tourism in India and Southeast Asia women empowerment through tourism and the socio-cultural impact of Tourism. His work emphasizes the intersection of history culture and sustainable tourism particularly in regions like Tirupati and Chittoor District. His interdisciplinary research also explores unique subjects such Freedom Movement in Andhra and Women Empowerment. Dr. Thimmappa is an active member of several professional bodies including the Indian History Congress Andhra Pradesh History Congress and the Institute of Historical Studies.