Most Sought After Tirupati Laddu Prasadham

A pilgrim's journey to the sacred address of the Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Temple (Sri Venkateswara Swamy vaari temple) located in the hill town of Tirumala (near Tirupati, Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh) will not be complete without getting the much coveted Tirumala Laddu. Popularly called as 'Srivari Laddu' by the Telugu speaking population living all over the world, Tirupati Laddu is the most important prasadham distributed to the devotees visiting the holy destination from all over the world.

Tirupati Laddu

It is important to mention that the unique Laddu exclusively prepared and distributed in the hill temple is the most preferred neivedhyam/naivedyam (sacred food offered to the Sri Venkateswara Swamy as part of the worship ritual) himself. The fame of the Tirupati Laddu is eminent all over the globe as the laddu is the main prasadham of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam for more than 30 decades. The delectable 'Srivari Laddu' is known for its uncompromising quality, singular flavor and rich taste ever since it all originated almost 300 years ago (although the size of Srivari Laddu has decreased over the years).

Did you know?

Apart from the world famous Srivari Laddu, some of the other popular prasadhams of  Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Temple include daddojanam (curd rice), chakkera-pongali (sweet pongal), seera (kesari), miryala-pongali, muruku, vada, Paayasam, pulioharey (tamarind rice), dosa and so on

Significance and Popular Beliefs about Tirupati Laddu

The temple of Seven Hills, Sri Venkateswara Swamy vaari temple is one of the important names in the list of most popular 'Swayambu Kshetras' in the country where Sri Venkateswara Swamy abides impressively splendid decorated with numerous jeweleries and garlands. A surge of exhilaration and devotedness comes down heavily on the pilgrims who standstill mesmerized in the beauty of the almighty. The devotees are shaken back to normality after the repeated 'move move' calls of the devasthanam people standing over there, controlling the crowds. The sacred aura there is literally heightened by the exquisite aroma of ghee which goes in rounds inside the consecrated place.

TTD Laddu Making

Substantially, Tirumala sri Venkateswara Temple and Srivari Laddu are synonymous for each other. As a matter of fact, the name Tirupati reminds of Laddu to many as the delicately prepared sweet is the principal offering to the presiding deity of Sri Venkateswara Swamy. Besides, it is a popular belief among the pilgrims that by consuming this ever-sweet prasadham of Srivari Laddu, people literally forget all the hardships and difficulties they put up for reaching the top of the hill to witness the beauty of Sri Venkateswara and return to their homes with an elated and satisfied body and soul.

Laddu Counter at Tirupati Temple

Furthermore, it is a habitual obligation of a devotee coming back from Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Temple (Sri Venkateswara Swamy vaari temple) to distribute the special laddu as prasadham to his/her friends, relatives and neighbors.

Interesting Facts of Tirupati Laddu

  • One free-of-cost laddu is offered to each devotee. However, devotees are given an option of buying tow additional laddus, that is, a small and a big laddu which is priced at Rs. 25 and Rs. 100, respectively
  • Every year, the money generated from the Srivari Laddu sales is approximated to be more than one crore and ten lakh rupees
  • More or less, one lakh and fifty thousand laddus are made on a daily basis
  • Geographical Indication - During the year 2009, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) obtained patent rights for the Tirupati Laddu, to end forgeries
  • Tirupati laddus are not made anywhere else on the globe, so they are not distributed by any other means
  • The spherical Tirupati laddus weighs about 175 gm, which is quite high when compared to laddus that are sold across sweet stalls in the country
  • Kalyana Laddu - A special laddu made in Tirupati weighs around 500 gm!
  • A record breaking laddu was made in Tirupati which weighed 32 kg
  • Tirupati Laddus are prepared by special familial priests and they make these laddus in a 'potu', a magnanimous kitchen that is operated inside the temple complex
  • An exclusive crane is used by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams to transport the groceries required for making laddus into the large kitchen

Various Ingredients Used in Tirupati Laddus

  • 100 bags (each bag contains 50 kg) of Besan flour (gram flour)
  • 100 bags (each bag contains 100 kg) of Sugar
  • 40 boxes (one box contains 15 kg) of Cashewnuts
  • 150 kg of Cardamom
  • 300 litres of Pure Ghee
  • 20 kg of Oil (approx.)
  • 8 bags (each bag contains 50 kg) of Sugar candy
  • 36 boxes (each box contains 15 kg) of Raisins
  • 1 or 2 boxes of Almonds
The above list of groceries is supplied to the devasthanam on a daily basis! The ingredients are shopped at the auction sale at the Commodities and Spices Exchange in Kochi, Kerala.

Last but not least, Tirupati prasadhams are always singular. Tirupati laddus are made with the above listed ingredients and are offered with a special coating of the blessings of the almighty himself which is the primary reason behind their rich taste! No one can come close to matching the taste of authentic Tirupati laddus as it is a gift of Lord Venkateshwara to his devotees!

Also Read:
Tirupati-Tirumala Darshan
Facilities Offered by TTD at Tirupati-Tirumala
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