Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam authorities have planned to sell 16 lakh laddus during Bhavani deeksha viramana that begins on Friday. The estimates are 3.5 lakh more as compared to last year. Devotees relinquish their deeksha upto December 16.
The authorities have estimated that laddu and pulihora preparation will cost about Rs. 9.20 lakh this year compared to last year’s Rs. 6.50 lakh. Kanaka Durga temple is engaging more workers to meet the laddu prasdam requirements.
Though ‘pulihora', the famed tamarind rice, is a much sought-after prasadam on normal days, it is less preferred on the festive days. The prime reason: a major chunk of devotees visiting the temple would be non-locals, and the shelf life of laddu is longer compared to that of pulihora. This was evident from the previous year’s sales.
The sale of laddu prasadam is on the rise during Bhavani deeksha viramana during past few years. Kanaka Durga temple received a Rs. 91,02,200 in 2013 through sale of laddus (9,10,220 tickets) compared to Rs. 78,43,870 (7,84,387 laddu tickets) in 2012.
Over 10 ingredients are used in preparing the laddu. Every month, the temple requires about 18,000 kg of ghee to prepare laddu and other prasadams. The requirements go up during special occasions such as deeksha viramana.
