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The Tirupati Laddu:- What makes it so Unique

The Tirupati Laddu:-Naivedhyam to Lord Venkateswara

 

What is Tirupati Laddu?

Tirupati Laddu popularly known as “Srivari Laddu”is a Sacred Temple Prasadam prepared for the deity of Sri Venkateswara swamy temple of Tirumala of Tirupati district Andhra Pradesh. This sacred laddu is prepared by talented people from a traditional community. It is made with gram flour, ghee, sugar, cardamom, cashewnuts, almond & raisins (Kismis) in a special temple kitchen called “ Laddu Potu” .

  • Tirupati Laddu was first prepared by Sh. Kalyanam Iyengar , a philantropist , who passed on the mantle to his son, brother, brother in law and others.It is believed that it was his culinary expertise that made laddu the mainstay of the prasadam. Sh Kalyanam Iyengar was also started music & dance festival in Tirumala. 
  • This laddu offered as Prasadam (prasad) to the devotees after they worship the Lord Venkateswara , the presiding deity at the Sri Vari temple at the tirumala hills at Tirupathi  in the state of Andhra Pradesh of India.
  • The Tirupati Laddu is one of the most popular Laddu among pilgrims of Tirumala due to its unique flavor, characteristics & never compromising quality of Laddus since it began to distributing 300years ago. It has been awarded with Geographical tagging (GI Tag) in 2008 & further renewed in year 2018.

 

pic source-https://www.indianeagle.com/travelbeats/tirupati-temple-laddu-prasad/interesting-facts-about-tirupati-temple-laddu/

 

What makes Tirupati Laddu so Unique

The uniqueness of Tirupati Laddo lies with the following parameters :-

  • History
  • Preparation
  • Quality
  • Reputation & GI Status
  • Human skill in making laddu
  • Other characteristic

(1) History of Tirupati Laddu:-The traditions of offering of Tirupati Laddu at Tirumal Temple in Tirupati is very old and more than 300 year old dates back to 1715.  with the formation of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) in 1933, the production of laddus was formalised and scaled up to meet demand.

(2) Preparation:- The Tirupati Laddu is prepared with a specifie receipe and all the ingredients used in the preparation of Laddu is considered to be pure & sanctified. The process of making this Laddu is believe to have been following since ancient time and temple traditions which is handed over down through generation to generataion. The laddu are made by experts staff of temple who follow the specifie religious and hygiene practices to ensure its purity.

(3) Quality parameter:- The quality of Laddu makes it unique. Only the best quality of raw materials are used in the preparation of Tirupati Laddu. All the raw materials are strictly undergo through the certified lab testing & rigorous check on the index of Quality, calorie count & shelf life as per the specifications.

 

  • Measurement of each raw materials as per the defined recipe and Portion size are strictly followed.  Quality control check are regularly carried out right from the purchase of Raw materials, preparation to till the laddu are taken to the temple for offering as prasad to Lord Venkateswara till the distributation to all devotee.

(4) Reputations & GI Status :– The reputation of Tirupati laddu is mainly based on the Distribution and sales of Laddu as Prasadam. It is offered to the devotee as prasad free of cost after completion of darshan of Lord Venkateswara. It has been awarded with Geographical tagging (GI Tag) in 2009 & renewed in year 2018 recognizing as unique product associated with particular region.

(5) Human Skill:– This sacred laddu is prepared by talented people from a traditional community. It is made with gram flour, ghee, sugar, cardamom, cashewnuts, almond & raisins (Kismis) in a special temple kitchen called “ Laddu Potu” . In the recent year .

(6) Other characteristic:– The other characteristic of this laddu is that,  it is prepared in a very Holy & religious place of Sri Vari Temple at Tirumala in Tirupati . Laddu is first offered as a Prasad to Lord Venkateswara and then only distributed to the devotee as prasad.

 

Pic source:-https://www.tirupationline.in/guide/most-sought-after-tirupati-laddu-prasadham

 

Characteristic of Tirupati Laddu

 Tirupati laddu is very unique in terms of quality, reputation & other characteristic. The laddu gets is reputation not from its taste alone but from its sanctity.  The laddu derives its sancitity , reputation & uniqueness from its being offered as Naivedyam to the Lord Venkateswara.

  • The laddu is offered as Prasadam only to the devotees who visited Tirumala temple and offered worship to Lord Venkateswara there and not to anyone else. Therefore, to get the Tirupati Laddu one has to visit the Lord Venkateswara temple and offered prayer.
  • It is not produced anywhere in the world & it is unique in terms of quality , reputation & other characteristic which go into its making. 
  • The Laddu is very special and Unique in the sense & taste that No other laddu in the world have same taste as Tirupati Laddu. Each Laddu has a sweet taste , blended with pure cow ghee with sugar candies & Nuts.  
  • The laddu is Round in Shape & are prepared from Boondi , mixed with sugar syrup , pure cow ghee,diamond sugar candies with dry fruits such as Cashewnuts, Almonds & Raisins.
  • The laddu is prepared in two sizes:- Small size & Large size . 
  • The weight of small size Laddu are approx 174 to 180gms whereas the weight of large size laddu are approx 700gms to 720gms.
  • No artificial color or flavor are added in the preparation of this Laddu. 

 

Ingredients used in the preparation of Laddu:-

The sacred Prasadam is prepared by mixing boondi with sugar syrup, pure cow ghee, sugar candies, cashew nuts, almond, raisins & cardamom etc.

As per the present dictum in force as on date to make 51 small Laddu, the portion of ingredients used are as follows:-

  • Bengal gram flour:- 02kg
  • Sugar:- 04kg
  • Pure cow ghee:- 1.85kg
  • Sugar Candies:- 100gms
  • Cashewnuts:- 350gms
  • Raisins:- 175gms
  • Cardamom:- 50gms
  • Almond :- 140gms (Used only in Big size laddu) 

 

pic source:-https://www.slurrp.com/article/tirupati-prasadam-how-the-laddu-became-a-cultural-icon-in-india-1726898845019

 

Brief history of preparation of Tirupati Laddu

The practice of offering Prasad to the Lord Venkateswara is an ancient traditions . The Tirupati Laddo of Tirumala Temple began on 2nd August 1715 during the regin of Raja Todal Mal who introducted the systemic temple practices i.e pooja & prasad. It is considered as symbol of devotion and divine blessings.

  • Tirupati Laddu was first prepared by Sh. Kalyanam Iyengar , a philantropist , who passed on the mantle to his son, brother, brother in law and others.It is believed that it was his culinary expertise that made laddu the mainstay of the prasadam. Sh Kalyanam Iyengar was also started music & dance festival in Tirumala. 
  • It is also believe that eating by eating this prasadam, the devotee forget all the sorrows and hardships he faced while reaching the top hill of Seshachalam for the divine darshan of Lord Venkateswara and return back to his destination with a pleasant & happiness.
  • The authentic receipe is believe to have been passed through generation to generation. Only Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam(TTD) has the authority to make & sell the Tirupati Laddu.

 

Geographical Tagging of Tirupati Laddu

 

 

The office of Registrar of Patents, Trademark & Geographical Indication, India has awarded the status of Registered Geographical Indication (GI Tagging) to “Tirupati Laddu” in 31st March 2008. The Geographical Indication of Triupati Laddu has been registered in the name of “Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam(TTD)”  falling in the class 30 for Laddu being preparation made from cereals.

  • The GI Tag number of Tirupati Laddu is 121 and has recently renewed in the year 2018 & valid for next 10 years i.e  30th March 2028.
  • Further in the year 2017, the India Post unveiled a Postal stamp that Commemorated the Tirupati Laddu.

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirupati_laddu    

 

Content Reference:-

The above content has been compiled after referring Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam website, GI Tagging website, Govt website and several other news & media ,various culinary books, Research Papers, Research articles, Food magazines & many  more. The picture which i have used has been taken from the open source website .Some of the important website referred for the above content are:- 

Author: chef radhe
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