How Tirumala's laddu became the temple's sacred offering

Hailing from Chittoor, just 80 km from Tirumala, I've witnessed the devotion people have toward the laddu, treating it with the same reverence as Lord Venkateshwara. People relish it with utmost respect — removing their footwear, ensuring they’ve bathed, and abstaining from it on days they’ve eaten non-vegetarian food. It’s not just a local sentiment either; this sacred offering commands the same level of devotion from devotees around the world.

The demand for the laddu was so much that it was even sold for inflated prices in the black market, prompting the TTD, the Andhra Pradesh government-managed trust, to change its strategies.

Not always the go-to offering

Tirumala Laddu, which received the geographical identification (GI) tag in 2009, has been popular among devotees since the 20th century. For many centuries, laddu was not offered to the devotees. “It was offered to the deity. The practice of offering it to devotees started in the 1940s,” said Gokul Krishnan, a priest and a historian, as mentioned in a Tamil book: Thirumalai Ozhugu. “Long before these fancy offerings, it was curd rice in a mud pot that was carried to the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Venkateswara. It is served even today as it is said to be the Lord’s favourite dish,” Gokul Krishnan added.

Laddu Padi, a designated counter to collect the offering in the temple, has a mention in the revenue records of the British. “Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Dittam, a book published in 1976, serves as a guide to prepare laddus. While it remains unknown who introduced the laddu in the temple, records show the prevalence of it from as early as 1790 AD,” Peta Srinivasulu Reddy, professor at SV University, Tirupati told Hindustan Times. He has authored a book called The Stories of Tirupati, in which he further wrote, “Athirasalu, a deep-fried sweet made with rice flour and jaggery was the offering at Tirumala. It was replaced by Boondhi, crispy balls made of gram flour batter.” Over time, laddu, which gradually evolved from Boondhi, has become a cherished legacy at the temple.

The broad, dark-brown vadai, made with black gram and pepper among other ingredients, carried the tradition once, as the popular Tamil saying often goes: Tirumalai ku vadai azhagu (loosely translated to vada is the best in Tirumala). As per the records, pongal was also served as an offering at Tirumala temple.

Tirumala offers three types of laddus. The 750-gram laddu, enriched with additional ingredients like almonds, is priced at ₹200 and is offered to important devotees. The second type is prepared for the Kalyanotsavam, a ceremonial wedding ritual conducted daily at Tirumala. The third category is the regular laddu weighing 175 grams, priced at ₹50. For many years, the temple provided a small-sized laddu free of cost to all devotees, but this practice was discontinued after Covid-19."

Is the quality of laddus declining?

While the allegations against the laddu have yet to be substantiated, devotees and those who have worked in the temple's kitchen claim that the quality of the offering is declining significantly.

“There is a problem with consistency. The laddu, which once was rich with ghee and cashew nuts, has recently become dry in texture, indicating that insufficient ghee was used in its preparation,” said V Srikanth Reddy, a regular visitor of the temple.

A few ingredients have been missing from laddus in recent times. "Saffron and almonds, once staples in all laddus are no longer used. Saffron is now reserved for theertham water, while almonds are only added to the larger, more expensive laddus," said a former cook at the potu (the temple kitchen at Tirumala), who oversaw laddu preparation in the 1970s. The process of making laddus has evolved significantly with the adoption of modern technology. Previously, much of the preparation was done using firewood, but now it has transitioned to LPG cooking.

“The laddus we made used to stay fresh for two weeks without refrigeration. Now, they develop a layer of fungus if left outside for just a week. This says a lot about the current quality,” remarked the chef.

According to the draft report by the TTD, ghee, which was alleged to be adulterated, plays a vital role in laddu preparation. “A ladoo of normal size (175 gm), has about 40 gm of cow ghee. While the quality of all the ingredients is important in attributing the quality features of ladoo, the aroma of cow ghee has a major influence on the taste of the prasadam,” the draft said.

When such an essential ingredient is alleged to be adulterated, it alters the entire dynamic of taste. However, beyond taste, it is the faith and sentiments of millions of devotees that are truly at stake.

Laasya Shekhar is an independent journalist.