Srikalahasti is a town situated near Tirupati in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is a temple town and mainly known for its numerous temples. Devotees visiting Tirupati, a famous pilgrimage center, also halt at Srikalahasti. It is located on the banks of Swarnamukhi. It is also famous for the temple of Shiva located there. It is believed that the name Srikalahasti is made up of three words Sri, Kala and Hasti which mean Spider, Serpent and elephant respectively.  Some Legendary tales are associated with it and they narrate how these three animals got redemption with their great devotion to lord Shiva. 

  There are many temples in and around the town of Srikalahasti. Srikalahastiva temple in Srikalahasti is known as Kailash of the South. This ancient temple is devoted to lord Shiva.

Durgambika temple :
Durgambika temple is another place of worship in Srikalahasti. This ancient temple is devoted to Goddess Durgambika and is surrounded by beautiful nature. The temple is visited by both devotees and tourists.

Bharadwaja Theertham :
Bharadwaja Theertham is another place of religious and tourist attraction near Srikalahasti. It is situated near the beautiful stream of water. It houses a beautiful idol of Vinayaka. Bhakt Kannapa temple and Chaturmukeshwara temple are some of many other temples to be seen in and around the Srikalahasti.
Temperature of Srikalahasti varies from 30 to 43 degree Celsius in summer while it remains 21 to 32 degree Celsius in winter. October to march is the best time to visit the place.

How to reach :
Srikalahasti is well connected by rail and road to other parts and the state and the country. Srikalahasti railway station is well connected to other major cities of south India. Many state run buses and other private vehicle are available from many cities and towns of the state. Tirupati is just 60km away from Srikalahasti and serves as nearest airbase to it. Tirupati is well connected by many flights to other major cities of the state and the country.

  Tarakeshwar, a renowned pilgrimage center, is a town in the state of West Bengal, India. It is located in Hooghaly district of the state. The town is mainly known for its Tarakeshwar temple. It is believed to be built in 1729 AD by Raja Bharamalla. The temple has ‘atchala’ building structure and Natmandir in front. You can also visit here the shrines of Kali and Lakshami-Narayan which are situated in the temple’s premises.  It is visited by pilgrims throughout the year. On the occasion of Maha Shivratri and Gajan devotees throng there in large number. In the period of Sravan (mid July to mid August) a celebration is held there on every Monday and many devotees visit the temple on that occasion. Visit Dudhpurak tank situated to the north of Tarakeshwar temple. The tank is supposed to be auspicious one and many devotees are seen taking a dip there.
Surrounding towns of Tarakeshwar like Gopadnga, Chautara, Balgarh and Magra provide comfort and accommodation facilities to the pilgrims.

How to reach :-
Kolkata is just about 45 km away from Tarakeshwar. Kolkata airport serves it as the nearest airbase and is well linked to other major cities of India. Tarakeshwar is well connected by rail to Howrah and other cities and towns of the state and the country. It is also connected by many state run buses and other private vehicles like cars and luxury buses to Howrah, Kolkata and other parts of the state.

Tirupati, the seventh biggest city of Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, is a major pilgrimage city.  The city lies in the Chittoor district of the State. Famous for its many Temples in and around it, the city is also known for economic and educational hub in the southern parts of the state. Temperature of the city ranges from 40 to 45 in summer and in winter it is between 15 to 22. Apart from Telugu, native language of the city, Tamil is also spoken widely as many people from Tamil Nadu reside there.   

Places of interest:
The city of Tirupati takes pride in housing many places of religious importance in and around the city. The famous Venketeshwara Swami temple, located at just 10km of north-west of Trupati in the Tirumala Hills, attracts thousands of pilgrims from other parts of the state and the country. It is one the most of important temples of India and is dedicated to Lord Venketeshwara.

Koadanda Rama Swami temple :
Koadanda Rama Swami temple is another important temple of Tirupati and it lies in the center of city. Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are main deities of the temple.

ISKON Lord Krishna temple :
Colored in gold and white ISKON Lord Krishna temple is yet another main religious place of the city.

Shree Venketeshawr zoological park :
Shree Venketeshawr zoological park is another place of attraction of Tirupati. The park is second of its kind in Andhra Pradesh and its houses many different kinds of animals including tigers. The city also has Regional Science Center with planetarium and attracts a good crowd.
Lord Mahadehva temple at Yogimallavaram and Hanuman temple at Tirumala are some of the many other temples to be seen here. Other temples, within 40 km of the city, include Avanakshamma temple, Shree Venugopala Swamy temple, Shree Prasanna Venketeshwara Swami temple and Parashurameshwara temple.

How to reach there:
The city of Tirupati is well connected to other parts of the state and country by rail, road and air. It is connected by rail to other cities like Chennai, Bangalore Hyderabad etc. it is also connected by Chennai sub-urban railway. State run buses connect the city to other towns and cities of the state. There are private luxury buses available from other parts the country to visit the city. Tirupati domestic airport, located 15 km from the center of the city, has many flights from cities like Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad etc.

Other details:
Bramvhostava festival in Tirupati is celebrated over the nine days.  The festival comes in the month of October every year   and is one of the most auspicious events in Tirupati and it draws many people from other parts of the state and the country.