Mahathi Srinivasa Rao
Tirupati Balaji Devotion: Tirumala Temple located in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh is world famous. It is also known as Tirupati Balaji. Here thousands of devotees reach Tirumala mountain to have darshan of Balaji and offer their offerings. To have darshan of the deity of the seven mountains, while climbing the stairs of the mountain, one places a stick on each step and has darshan of the god. A devotee from Srikakulam district stands out among the devotees who visit Tirumala, chanting the name of Govinda on the way to see the Lord. He has traveled the mountain hundreds of times following this path and has impressed everyone.
Mahathi Srinivasa Rao, 59, working at SBI Life Insurance in Srikakulam, continues his Tirumala Yatra, inspired by the divine wish of Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah. Srinivasa Rao has been coming from Srikakulam to visit Tirupati since the age of 28.
Have traveled 491 times
From 1996 to 2016, he visited Tirumala hundreds of times over 20 years, including 50 times in 2017, 71 times in 2018 and 50 times in 2019 via the Alipiri Srivari Mettu route. Srinivasa Rao, who completed the Tirumala Yatra twice in 2020 during the Covid period, 52 times in 2021, 57 times in 2022, 50 times in 2023 and 68 times in 2024, reached the hill to visit Srivari on foot.
By 2026, he had visited Tirumala a total of 485 times. Srinivasa Rao, who had undergone open heart surgery due to heart disease on February 13, 2025, successfully completed the Tirumala Yatra six more times, saying “Govindudu Rammanadu” despite doctors’ refusal. With this the total number of his journeys increased to 491. Out of these, he traveled to Tirumala 316 times via Srivari Mettu route and 175 times via Alipiri route.
South India Govind Padayatra
He has created a WhatsApp group named “Dakshin Bharat Govind Padayatra” to involve thousands of devotees in his spiritual journey. About 10,000 devotees have joined this group and a grand puja is being organized with them on Srivari Mettu Marg. The first grand puja started on 9 March 2022 with 150 devotees from Alipiri route. On 6 September 2022, a grand puja was organized with 700 devotees through Srivari Mettu route and on 30 April 2023, a grand puja was organized with 1008 devotees through Srivari Mettu route.
On 17 July 2024, a phased puja was concluded with a padayatra with 700 devotees on the Srivari Mettu route. On 24 April 2025, Tirumala Yatra was taken out with 1025 devotees on Srivari Mettu route and phase-wise puja was completed. For the sixth time on 25 July 2026, on the first day of Ekadashi festival, a huge phased puja will be performed with 2500 devotees on the Srivari Mettu route.
Srinivas Rao is in Asia Book of Records
Srinivasa Rao, who has so far trekked Tirumala Mountain 491 times, has also registered his name in the “Asia Book of Records”. He believes that Tirumala Yatra should not be just a tourist trip but a spiritual journey full of devotion. He is spreading awareness among the devotees that every devotee should offer his vow to the Lord by undertaking a pilgrimage to Tirumala mountain at least once in his life.
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