Tirupati laddus get GI status

Tirupati/New Delhi

Sept. 15: The famous Tirupati laddu given as prasadam to lakhs of devotees at the Lord Venkateswara Temple for three centuries has been awarded geographical copyright.
The “geographical indication” status makes the Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which runs the renowned shrine, the exclusive manufacturer and marketer of the laddu.
It was in March 2008 that the TTD Trust Board submitted its application to the Geographical Indication Registry in Chennai. “The laddu is now protected under law and nobody can copy it,” said Mr G.L. Verma, assistant registrar of Trade Marks and GI in Chennai.
The high demand for the laddu from devotees had spawned a major black market trade in and around the temple in the last two decades. Fake laddus were sold all over. The TTD is hoping that the GI status would end this.
The mouth watering laddu is prepared using Besan flour, sugar, cashew nuts, cardamom, ghee, oil, sugar candy, raisins and almonds.
It comes in two sizes — the small one weighs about 174 grams, whereas the big ones weigh between 700 and 720 grams. About 2.5 lakh laddus are prepared daily in the temple. The laddu was priced just Rs 3 in 1989 but now sells at Rs 25 a piece.
Historians say that laddu prasadam was first given to devotees 300 years ago during the times of the Mahants at Tirumala.
But history alone cannot explain the allure of the laddu. It is the legend that sanctifies it. According to lore, the laddu was first prepared by Goddess Vakula Devi, mother of Lord Venkateswara, since it was the favorite dish of her son. Perhaps that is why devotees feel that extra savour in it.