The Tirupati Tirumala Temple is located on the hilltop of a dense range of hills in Andhra Pradesh's eastern ghats.

Out of the many religions practiced and followed around the world, the Hindu faith is by far the oldest that is continuously practiced and followed. The Hindu population visits a variety of temples each year, but one stands out above all others: the Tirupati Balaji Temple.

The Tirupati Balaji Temple is a witness to the century-old customs and rituals that Hindus follow and do on a daily basis, which represent the lord supreme, the creator of the world, Lord Vishnu Himself, according to the Hindu culture's mythological texts known as The Puranans.

The temple, located on a hilltop in Tirupati's town centre, is easily accessible and one of the most visited temples in the world each year.

It is believed that whatever you desire for at this temple comes true, and fate forces you to return to this temple to perform seva [work] since the Lord has bestowed his blessings on you, and in exchange, you must return to the temple to thank God in person.

The town of Tirupati is accessible by road, rail, and air, but pilgrims and devotees have just two alternatives for visiting the temple on the hilltop: take an hour-long trip or trek the mountains.

Every day, between 50,000 and 70,000 people visit the Tirupati temple to see the supreme creator, Lord Vishnu, who resides inside the main temple, which dates back centuries to around 500 million years and was inspired by the Dravidian architecture of the time.

The temple features two distinct architectural elements that indicate its significance in Hindu culture. The temple's main portions are divided into pyramid-shaped structures known as Gopurams and pillar-like structures known as Mandapams. The Gopuram and Mandapams are tall buildings associated with Dravidian art and culture that date back 500 million years.

The walls of these temples include scriptures, drawings, and writings about Hindu civilisations, rituals, and communities.

The route to visit the Lord himself is not easy. The pilgirms had two options: take the road to the mountaintop or walk up the hill. The hour-long drive from Tirupati's town centre to the top hill centre of Tirumala is simple.

But pilgrims opt to visit and travel the somewhat tough way of trudging up the hills of Seshachalam Forest, incurring a hefty physical toll in devotion to just see Lord Supreme for a few seconds.

It is unknown why so many people prefer to walk rather than take the road. It is stated that if you go up the hill to the mountain and visit the temple, anything you wish for will come true.

There are two ways to go to the top by walking: the alipiri mettu, which is 9 kilometres long and easy, and the srivari metu, a 2.5-kilometre steep hike up the hill that is taken by the majority of pilgrims because it is short but very demanding.

Once climbing the mountaintop, worshippers must wait in long lines to approach the main temple, where the Lord himself stays in his exclusive territory. On a normal day, queues can last up to 10 to 12 hours to get access into a prominent temple.

No matter which way you take to get to the top or how long you stand in line, you will meet the same number of people at a single huge entrance that serves as both an entry and exit point to the Main Temple.

The reason for the single entry and exit is that everyone is equal in front of God, and no one is given special treatment, as no matter how rich, poor, or well-known you are, you must enter and exit through the same threshold as lakhs of devotees to visit the Lord and get a glimpse.

The process from the main entrance is quite astonishing since the temple gradually narrows down to little chambers leading to the final chamber known as grabha girha, which houses the idol of the Lord himself.

What's amazing about this is that as the chambers narrow down, it vibrates that the soul's journey narrows down into the womb of the divine energy into that chamber, where no light, sun, air, or man-made objects are within reach.

Devotees have only seconds to receive a darshan of Lord Sri Venkateshwara Swami. It is stated that no artist in the world can recreate the original idol; they can get close, but it is impossible to construct an exact copy of the idol.

Overall, the Tirupati temple is controlled by the TTD, a government-led private corporation that oversees the temple and its operations.

Actors, politicians, businessmen, and ordinary citizens from all over the world travel to Tirupati to seek the blessings of the supreme deity himself.