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Silathoranam
 Silathoranam is a natural
rock formation in the form of an arch, near the Chakra
Tirtham. Geologists have identified the rocks on the
hill as pre-Cambrian, and this arch formation suggests
an antiquity of several million years to the Tirumala
hill.
It is said that there are
only two other natural rock arches of such great antiquity
in the world.
TTD
Gardens
The TTD Gardens - ornamental,
landscape and flower gardens - occupy an area of 460
acres in Tirupati and Tirumala.
There are four nurseries at Tirumala
with mist chambers - in the Travellers Bungalow area,
Gogarbham Dam area, Sri Padmavathi Guest House area
and Divyaramam area wherein ten lakh plants are propagated
annually. Hybrid varieties of crotons, hibiscus,bougainvilleas
have been released through hybridisation and mutation
and named after great personalities - Croton Ramanuja,
Tirumalanambi, Neelam, Dr.N.T.Rama Rao and bougainvillea
varieties like Sharada Mukherjee and Dr. Shankar Dayal
Sharma. There are about 200 varieties of plants in the
gardens.
The Department of Gardens has released
a number of books and publications like Plant Wealth
of Tirumala, Angiospermic Wealth of Tirumala,The Ornamental
Designs, Inti Thotalu, Thota Panulu. The Garden Department
has a large germplasm collection of various ornamental
varieties collected from various places in India and
abroad.
The great Vaishnava acharya Sri
Ramanuja and his disciple, Sri Anandalwar are believed
to have been responsible for starting these gardens
in the fourteenth century. Legend has it that the Tirumala
flower gardens were cultivated by Sattada Sri Vaishnavas
under the name of Dasa Nambis who made flower garlands
for use in temples in Tirumala-Tirupati. Inscriptions
in the temple refer to numerous flower gardens during
the latter period of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
In Tirumala many places are named after Nandanavanams
- Andalwar Garden, Tharigonda Venkamamba Garden, Hathiramjee
Garden and Tallapaka Garden.
To add to the glory of the gardens,
there are many tanks and ponds such as Alwar Tank Mangalabhavi
and Ananthapalligunta which are useful not only as perennial
water sources for the temple gardens but also for growing
red lotus flowers and supplying fresh water to the pilgrims
and natives.
The main flowers used for Srivari
Kainkaryam (puja) are the scented ones like roses,
lotuses, chrysanthemums, davana, tulasi, Nerium, Tabornamontana,
Kanakambaram (Tagetes) and Exora.
The Gardens Department of TTD meets
the demand for flowers of all the temples in Tirumala.The
Department supplies nearly 500 kg of flowers every day
to all temples in Tirumala and Tiripati. It supplies
garlands for adorning the deities and for decorating
the mandapam, pandals and vahanas
on festive occasions.The Department also accepts
flowers in the form of donations from the devotees wherein
flowers can be supplied under the name 'Sri Vari Pushpa
Kainkaryam'. The APSTC-run buses provide for free transport
of flowers in Tirumala.
The Department organises Pushpa
Yagam and horticultural flower shows every year during
Brahmotsavam.
 The Asthana Mandapam or Sadas Hall is an auditorium
near the main temple complex, where cultural events
are held.
Sri
Venkateswara Dhyana Vignan Mandiram
 The
Sri Venkateswara Museum was established in 1980. Stone
and wooden carvings, articles used for puja,
and traditional art and architecture are displayed here.
Now, a new building, called the Sri Venkateswara Dhyana
Vignana Mandiram has been constructed for the purpose.
The building also has meditation halls for pilgrims.
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