At Tirupati temple, footfall dipped after laddu allegations, but bounced back soon

On September 19, when the allegation blew up, the number of pilgrims was 68,835. On September 20, however, the number of pilgrims who visited was 73,104; on September 21, it was 82,406; while on September 22, 82,646 pilgrims visited the temple.

There was decrease on September 23, when the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the temple, announced that it would carry out a purification ritual. That day, 65,604 pilgrims paid a visit. The purification rituals were performed in and around the temple “to ward off ill effects and restore the sanctity of laddu prasadams”, the TTD said. The rituals were conducted at the tanks used to store ghee, and the storage area where other ingredients that go into preparing the laddus and other offerings to the deity are kept, as well as the kitchen and trays used to carry the offerings.

Sources said that from September 19 to September 23, on an average, 3.50 lakh laddus per day were purchased from the temple’s counters. “We have been preparing around 3.50 lakh laddus every day; there is no dip in the demand. On September 22, we prepared 3.70 lakh. Due to the heavy rush and demand, TTD had to restrict sale of laddus to four per person, apart from one free laddu to ticket holders. Otherwise we would have had to prepare more than 5 lakh laddus daily. The kitchen is running round the clock with a 1-2 hour gap for a complete clean up,” said Muni Ratnam, manager of the sacred kitchen, known as “potu”. “There was a slight dip on Monday, when usually there is less rush, and we prepared just over 3 lakh laddus,” he said.

“After having darshan, it is a tradition for devotees to head to the counters to purchase the laddus for themselves, as well as for family, relatives and friends. Although there were apprehensions about the adulterated ghee, the TTD took immediate steps to restore the sanctity and quality of laddus, so its sales remained unaffected,” said Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, who visited the temple on Tuesday and tasted the laddus and other offerings. He also interacted with devotees who purchased the laddus and took their feedback.

The Temple Footfall

The TTD also had a windfall during the last few days, with cash offerings per day in the hundi between Rs 3.25 crore to Rs 4.96 crore.