Rahul's Travel and Food

A visit to Tirupati is not just another pilgrimage—it is an experience filled with faith, anticipation, and the feeling of being blessed by Lord Venkateswara. For many devotees, getting a smooth and convenient darshan is an important part of the journey. One such option is Srivani Trust Darshan, which offers devotees a special darshan experience at Tirumala.

What is Srivani Darshan Token?

Before sharing my experience, let me briefly explain what the Srivani Darshan token actually means.

Srivani Darshan is a special darshan facility associated with the Srivani Trust of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). Devotees who make the prescribed contribution to the trust are eligible to avail themselves of this special-entry darshan of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala, subject to the applicable rules and availability.

The amount contributed to the Srivani Trust is intended to support temple-related development and construction activities.

The Srivani Darshan token is issued to eligible devotees as part of the process and allows them to enter through the designated special-darshan arrangement at Tirumala.

For my trip, the interesting part was that I planned my entire journey around obtaining this token at Tirupati Airport. Since I was travelling solo and wanted to experience Srivani Darshan, I deliberately selected a flight that would make me the first arrival of the day at Tirupati Airport.

During my recent visit to Tirupati, I had the opportunity to experience the Srivani Darshan token process at Tirupati Airport. Like many first-time visitors, I had several questions in my mind: How does the token process work at the airport? What documents are required? How much time does it take? Is the process really as convenient as it sounds?

In this blog, I am sharing my personal experience of getting the Srivani Darshan token at Tirupati Airport, from the moment I arrived at the airport until completing the process. I’ll also share the practical details, things you should know beforehand, and a few observations that may help fellow devotees plan their Tirupati trip with greater ease.

So, if you are planning to travel to Tirupati by flight and are considering Srivani Darshan, here is my complete experience.

My Journey Begins from Ahmedabad

My journey to Tirupati began in Ahmedabad, and this was a solo trip for me. I travelled in March 2026, when there was no direct flight operating between Ahmedabad and Tirupati. So, I had to choose from several one-stop flight options.

After checking different combinations on the flight-booking websites, I found an IndiGo connection via Hyderabad that caught my attention. The flight departed from Ahmedabad late in the evening, followed by an overnight layover at Hyderabad, and then continued to Tirupati early the next morning.

Although there were several other flight options that were faster and more convenient, I deliberately chose this particular connection for one important reason: it would bring me to Tirupati on the first arriving flight of the day.

My thinking was simple—if I could reach Tirupati Airport with the first arrival of the morning, I would have the best possible chance of getting the Srivani Darshan token at the airport before the day’s quota was exhausted.

So, despite the overnight layover and the longer overall journey, I booked this flight. For me, reaching Tirupati early was more important than saving a few hours of travel time.

Little did I know that this decision would become one of the most important parts of my Srivani Darshan experience.

Ahmedabad to Hyderabad: The Overnight Layover

Finally, the day of my journey arrived.

My flight from Ahmedabad to Hyderabad was on time, and I reached Hyderabad Airport at around 9 PM. My next flight to Tirupati was scheduled for the following morning, with boarding starting around 5 AM. That meant I had several hours to spend at the airport overnight.

There are a few options available if you want to rest at Hyderabad Airport during a long overnight layover. I had a look at some of them, but eventually decided not to spend money on accommodation and instead chose to stay inside the terminal.

One option is Transit by Encalm, which offers shower and nap facilities. It is located outside the terminal, near Niloufer Café. However, I found it quite expensive for my needs. Another option is the sleeping pods at Aeroplaza, which seemed relatively more reasonable in terms of price.

But I wasn’t really in the mood to leave the terminal after arriving at night. Since I already had a boarding pass for my onward journey, I decided to simply stay inside the terminal and find a comfortable enough place to get some sleep.

Eventually, I found a chair near one of the gates and settled down for the night.

A Useful Tip for Budget Travellers

If you have a long overnight layover at Hyderabad Airport and don’t want to spend money on a sleeping facility, here’s a small tip based on my experience.

Most of the chairs near the gates have armrests between them, which makes it difficult to stretch out and sleep. However, there are some sets of three chairs without the middle armrest, allowing you to lie down relatively comfortably.

I found these chairs near the aerobridge gates on Level 1,  around the gates with two-digit numbers,13,14 etc.

The Race to the Token Counter

After landing, we were taken to the terminal building by bus. As soon as we entered, I noticed several passengers quickly making their way towards the Srivani token counter. Many were eager to get the form as quickly as possible.

But honestly, there was no need to run.

At that point, the number of applicants was still well below the available quota. So, even though I initially followed the crowd and quickly reached the counter, I soon realized that there was plenty of time.

The process inside the terminal is quite straightforward. After entering the terminal, you first come across the baggage collection area, and the Srivani token counter is located just before the exit.

Like most passengers, I first went to the counter, collected the application form and submitted it. I then went back to collect my baggage.

By the time I returned to the counter with my luggage, the staff had started calling applicants in sequence, based on the order in which the forms had been submitted.

Document Verification and Payment

When my name was called, I went to the counter for the verification process.

The process involved:

• Verification of the original ID proof
• Verification of boarding pass
• Payment of ₹10,000 + ₹500 per person
• Photograph capture
• Final confirmation of the Srivani Darshan token

One important thing to remember is that every individual has to be physically present for ID verification and photograph capture.

Also, cash was not accepted, so make sure you have a suitable digital payment method available.

The entire process was surprisingly quick. Within around 20 minutes, I had completed all the formalities and, finally, the thing I had planned this entire journey around was in my hands:

My Srivani Darshan token for the same day.

The whole experience had been remarkably smooth.

And there was another interesting detail—I had completed the entire process before the next flight arrived. At that point, no other aircraft had landed after ours. The next flight, from Delhi, was scheduled to arrive in about 10 minutes.

That timing made me realize that choosing the first flight of the day from Hyderabad had been a very deliberate decision—and it had worked exactly as I had hoped.

Now that I had the Srivani Darshan token safely with me, the next part of my journey could begin: heading towards Tirumala for the actual darshan.I will keep this Blog exclusively for Srivani token procedure at Tirupati airport.I will come with another one with process and experience of Srivani darshan and other temple darshan at Tirupati.

Now before ending this blog some important point I want to share as per my experience.

1. There are total 200 token per day.
2. Try to arrive by 3rd or 4th flight max if your priority is to get Srivani Token, as per local Token mostly ends around 10 am.
3. After arriving at terminal first visit the counter to get,fill and submit the form,after that get back to retrieve your baggage.
4. No cash accepted, only Indian credit/debit card and UPI.
5. Total fees is rs 10500 per person.

I had also made a short video about the same Token experience at Airport. You can go through it too.

Thanks for reading .If any doubt can ask, I will try to reply as per my experience. Om Namo Venkatesaya