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A pilgrimage to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) remains incomplete without eating the famous Tirupati laddu. It is believed to be Lord Venkateswara's divine blessing. TTD, one of the wealthiest temples with assets worth over Rs 2.5 lakh crore, needs a continuous supply of gram flour or besan for preparing these laddus. TTD, the temple board, prepares the laddu prasadam in the potu, or kitchen, of the temple. The temple prepares and sells tens of thousands of laddus daily to visitors and devotees. Ghee, cashews, raisins, cardamom, and jaggery are additional ingredients. The majority of them are now also procured from local organic farmers.
At the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, Tirupati Laddu, also known as Sri Vari Laddu, is offered to Venkateswara as Naivedhyam. After getting the darshan in the temple, pilgrims are given the laddu as prasadam. Tirupati Laddu has a Geographical Indication tag, which means that only Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams can prepare and sell it.
Tirupati laddu at TTD, Image Source: tirupatidiaries@Instagram
The temple, which welcomes 60,000–70,000 worshippers each day, decided to go entirely organic in May. The move came after being inspired by a devotee's contribution of chemical-free rice to the temple in 2021. If every temple goes organic with prasad, it encourages and reward farmers for pursuing sustainable farming methods.
Pilot project for organic gram flour
Last year, the temple began its pilot operation by purchasing 1,300 tonnes of organic chickpeas from farmers practising sustainable farming. That is less than a tenth of what it requires annually in chickpeas. To facilitate that switch in the future, the TTD got an agreement with the Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, a state-run non-profit organisation. RySS, or the Organization for Farmers' Empowerment, handles the natural farming project.
Following this, the TTD would provide the farmers with cattle from its cow shelters so their excrement can be utilised as fertiliser in exchange for the RySS providing 12 organically grown goods from these farmers, including rice, jaggery, and cardamom.
Other temples followed suit
In Andhra Pradesh, eleven other temples have since followed in its footsteps. For the agricultural season of 2022–2023, they have placed a joint order for 25,000 tonnes of certified organic vegetables. According to state officials, the move has significantly aided Andhra Pradesh's effort for organic farming.
RySS identifies and helps the farmers by getting trained by it organic farming. It creates an ecosystem of sustainable practice and earning. The move by the temples towards procuring organic produce from farmers has already made a market and encouraged more farmers to join the bandwagon. They are being roped into supplying their organic crops, including gram flour, chickpeas and rice, for TTD.
Being a part of the divine laddu boosts organic farming
Women farmers working in Andhra Pradesh, Image Source: Alamy
A government-run, the community-managed natural farming programme was started in 2015 as an alternative to burdening farmers with skyrocketing fertiliser and chemical costs. It currently includes several hundred small farmers from Andhra Pradesh. The programme may be one of its kind in India. Aiming to sign up one million farmers to practise either totally or partially organic farming this year, the campaign has spread throughout the state. Farmers in the state are now elated to supply their organic produce to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam temple and be a part of the making of Lord Venkateswara, also known as Vishnu's favourite Tirupati Laddoo.
