TIRUPATI: After redefining the quality, taste, and texture of the sacred “Tirupati Laddus” by suspending the supplies of low-quality ghee and other ingredients, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has now suspended the use of low-quality organic produce used in the preparation of the sacred Naivedya prasadams. These prasadams are cooked and offered first to the presiding deity of Lord Venkateswara Swamy inside the iconic Tirumala temple and later distributed among the devotees after the completion of their darshan.
About a week back, TTD EO J Syamala Rao stated that the Tirupati trust received numerous complaints from the devotees, temple kitchen (Potu) workers, as well as others regarding the poor quality of organic ghee, rice, and jaggery procured during the erstwhile YSRCP regime. This led to the deterioration in the quality and taste of the Naivedya Anna Prasadams at the Tirumala temple in the last few years.
Apart from the world-renowned Tirupati Laddus, several other prasadams are offered to the presiding deity at the hill temple. These prasadams include the Vada, Chakkara Pongal (Sweetened rice), Pongal, Pulihora (Tamarind rice), Kadambham, Daddhyojanam (Curd rice), Murukku, Jilebi, Dosai, Appam, etc.
According to TTD EO J Syamala Rao, the use of organic produce to cook Naivedya prasadams at the Tirumala temple was introduced by the previous administration in 2021.
It was in April of 2021 that the then TTD trust board, headed by YV Subba Reddy, decided to introduce the use of organic and naturally produced farm produce, including rice, ghee, and jaggery, to be used in the preparation of the Naivedya prasadams.
TTD also entered into a pact with Markfed and Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS) to procure the organic produce at higher rates.
According to state endowments minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, though there were concerns raised from a few quarters over the deviation from the set traditions linked to prasadams cooking and also in terms of the deterioration in the overall quality and taste of the Naivedya prasadams after the process of cooking them with organic produce was introduced at the Tirumala temple, the then administration never initiated any measures to rectify the same.
“Today, following the instructions of chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, while the sanctity of the sacred Laddu prasadams has been restored by ending the supplies of ghee adulterated with animal fats, TTD has also initiated measures to restore the originality and taste of other sacred Naivedya prasadams at the Tirumala temple by ending the use of substandard organic produce,” the state endowments minister underlined. He added that the quality and taste of the Anna prasadams distributed to the devotees have gone up manifold due to the effective measures taken up by the new TTD administration led by EO J Syamala Rao.