Tirupati Tirumala Venkateswara Temple won't receive ghee from Nandini to prepare prasad after milk price hike; all about Tirupati Laddu or SriVari Laddu
Produced by: Bhoomika
Designed by: Mohsin Shaikh
The Nandini tender row intensified after Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), which sells its dairy products under the brand name Nandini refused to supply ghee to Tirupati Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh
Nandini vs TTD
KMF Chairman Bheema Naik had asked Nandini to participate in the e-tender process by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the trust that manages the Venkateswara temple
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams
Nandini, which is one of the leading milk sellers in the state, refused to participate in the bidding process saying, "We cannot give ghee at the competitive rate, because in the e-procurement tender, whoever quotes the lowest rate will get it. But our rate is fixed. We said we will supply ghee at our rate, but they (TTD) said they won't give that amount. So, we are not supplying."
Nandini milk in Andhra Pradesh
Earlier, the Karnataka cabinet cleared a proposal to hike the selling prices of its Nandini milk by Rs 3 per litre, which will come into effect from August 1
Nandini milk price hike
Photo: Instagram/gruhasrinivasa
Desi ghee laddus form an important part of Tirupati temple prasad. Called Tirupati laddu or SriVari laddu, these sweets are offered as Naivedhyam (prasad) to Venkateswara idol at Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, Tirupati district
The famous desi ghee laddus
of Tirupati temple
Photo: Instagram/gruhasrinivasa
Later, the same laddus are offered as prasadam to devotees who pay obeisance in the temple. These laddus are prepared within the Tirupati temple kitchen known as 'potu'. The members of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams often prepare the prasad with the help of Tirupati volunteers
Tirupati laddus prasadam
Tirupati laddus which received a GI (Geographical Indicator) tag in 2009 holds great significance. On August 2, 1715, the Venkateswara idol at Tirumala Venkateswara Temple was offered these laddus for the first time, and have become an important part of this pilgrimage since
GI tag for Tirupati laddus
Tirupati laddus are prepared in a special kitchen referred to as laddu potu. It lies inside the Sampangi Pradakshinam of the temple. The potu has three conveyor belts used for carrying ingredients into the kitchen and finished laddus to the selling counters from the kitchen. Earlier, the laddus were prepared on a wood fire which was later replaced by LPG. On an average 2.8 lakh Tirupati laddus are prepared every day by approximately 620 cooks out of which around 247 are trained chefs. They are referred to as potu karmikulu
Laddu potu
Dittam is the list of ingredients and the recipe to prepare the Tirupati laddu. Some of the key ingredients used are gram flour, cashew nuts, cardamom, sugar, sugar candy and raisins. The laddus are cooked in pure desi ghee and TTD procures all these ingredients from the companies who need to win the tender via an auction
Dittam: Ingredients used in Tirupati laddus
Credit: Lord-Balaji-Narayan-Tirupati/YouTube
Tirupati laddus are available in multiple variations such as:
Proktham laddu – 175 grams of heavy laddus distributed among common pilgrims
Asthanam laddu – 750 grams of heavy laddus prepared on special occasions with more cashews, almonds and saffron strands
Variations of Tirupati
laddus
tirupati laddu potu videos
Kalyanotsavam laddu – Prepared for devotees who participate in Kalyanotsavam and Arjitha seva.
Arjitha Kalyanotsavam is the daily ritual to mark the marriage of Lord Venkateshwara with Goddess Lakshmi and Padmavathi. People can book both prasad and seva via the official website at ttdsevaonline.com