Selling the famous Tirumala laddu tops in May this year

Behind the production of laddus lies a massive round-the-clock operation at the ‘Potu’ temple, where centuries-old tradition is complemented by modern infrastructure to ensure a continuous supply of prasadam to the devotees. | Photo credit: File Photo

The famous Tirumala laddu, which is in high demand among the pilgrim fraternity, recorded its highest ever monthly sales this May, reflecting the surge in the number of pilgrims at the Lord Venkateswara hill temple.

Every day, tens of thousands of devotees take prasadam laddu home after praying at the hill shrine.

Behind the laddu making lies a massive round-the-clock operation in the temple’s ‘Potu’ (kitchen) – where centuries-old tradition is complemented by modern infrastructure to ensure a continuous supply of prasadam to the devotees.

Around 700 Sri Vaishnava Brahmins, assisted by TTD staff and supervisors, work in shifts throughout the day to prepare them with unwavering devotion, strictly following the traditional standards of ‘Dittam’ approved by TTD in 1950-51.

The world-renowned laddu, which has a Geographical Indication (GI) tag and is backed by FSSAI license, is manufactured under strict quality control measures.

The ingredients sourced for the preparation of prasadam undergo laboratory testing before use, while two artificial intelligence-powered color sorting machines installed in the Pot help remove impurities and ensure that only high-quality ingredients are used in the manufacturing process.

The scope of the operation is no less remarkable. TTD consumes more than 68 tonnes of raw materials every day, including sugar, gram flour, ghee, cashew nuts, raisins, cardamom and ‘kalkand’, which are required to make prasadams.

The temple kitchen is supported by specialized units like Boondi Potu, Padi Potu and other production sections, besides a large capacity flour mill, ghee tanks, gas plant and transport systems. On an average, more than 4 lakh laddus are prepared daily, with production increasing further on days of large crowd participation and festive occasions.

For the convenience of devotees, laddus are distributed through 56 counters operating continuously in three shifts. Digital payment kiosks have also been introduced to purchase additional laddus, with each devotee getting one free laddu after darshan. To avoid shortages during peak periods, TTD maintains buffer stock ranging from eight to ten million laddus.

The effectiveness of this sophisticated system was demonstrated in May 2026, when TTD recorded historical sales of 1.21 million crowns, surpassing the 1.10 million crowns sold in May 2025.

This milestone highlights both the growing popularity of the Tirumala shrine and TTD’s ability to preserve the sanctity, quality and tradition of the famous prasadam while catering to the ever-increasing demand for laddu that tastes sweet in every bite.

Published – 03 Jun 2026 20:48 IST