Fact Check: No restrictions on Tirumala Laddu for devotees with Darshan tickets
Tirumala, the spiritual place in the Tirupati district in the state of Andhra Pradesh attracts lakhs of devotees every day. After the new government formation of by the TDP, Janasena, and BJP alliance, J Shyamala Rao, Senior IAS officer took charge as the new Executive officer of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam in June 2024.
Laddu
Tirumala, the spiritual place in the Tirupati district in the state of Andhra Pradesh attracts lakhs of devotees every day. After the new government formation of by the TDP, Janasena, and BJP alliance, J Shyamala Rao, Senior IAS officer took charge as the new Executive officer of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam in June 2024. New EO vows to improve pilgrim facilities, and several social media users are speculating on the new rules that will be formed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthnam governing body. Tirumala laddu is the offering made to Lord Venkateswara and is very popular among the devotees because of its sanctity and unique taste and texture.
Amidst this, news claiming that devotees can get only 1 additional Tirumala laddu along with 1 free prasadam laddu after darshan is doing rounds on social media. The claim in Telugu goes as “BIG BREAKING NEWS తిరుమల భక్తులకి అదనపు లడ్డూలపై టీటీడీ ఆంక్షలు!! ఒక్క భక్తుడికి ఒక్క లడ్డు మాత్రమే ఇస్తామంటూ కొత్త రూల్.” When translated claims that TTD has formed new rules on providing extra laddus to Tirumala devotees. Only two laddus will be available to each devotee after darshan”
Fact check:
The claim is Misleading. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam is restricting the laddus to the devotees without the darshan of Lord Venkateswara and buying the laddus with the intention to sell them again in the black market.
TTD clarified that the viral news is misleading and the devotees can purchase additional laddus besides receiving one free laddu, as before. TTD additional EO Ch Venkaiah Chowdary said that some middlemen are selling laddus in the black market and the more of aadhar validation for the tokenless devotees seeking to obtain laddu prasadams aims to prevent such incidents and enhance transparency in the distribution process.
According to the New Indian Express, With an aim to put an end to the middlemen menace, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has introduced Aadhaar validation for the sale of Srivari Laddus to tokenless devotees. This new system, aimed at making laddu sales more transparent, took effect on Thursday.
According to an article in Gulte stated that a reputed media channel reported that TTD is bringing in restrictions on Laddu distribution at the Tirumala temple. The implication was such that pilgrims would not be able to get as many laddus as they wanted and only a certain number would be permitted.
However, Tirumala EO, Venkaiah Chowdary has quickly debunked this narrative and confirmed that these rumors are misleading. “There’s no change in the Laddu distribution system. It is just that we have taken a small reform to curb the black marketing and middlemen system. A Darshan ticket holder will get 1 free laddu and he/she can buy up to 4 or 6 laddus based on the crowd management. Those without Darshan ticket and token can buy 2 laddus” the EO said.
The article also stated that EO requested the devotees not to panic and this step is taken only to curb the middlemen system in Tirumala. Hence, the claim that the devotees can get only 2 Laddu prasadam from now on is misleading.