MEALS ON WHEELS-TTD ROLLS NEW IDEA TO FEED MORE NUMBER OF PILGRIMS

“Meals on Wheels” is the innovative concept mulled by TTD to feed more number of pilgrims instantly which has received huge reception from the pilgrims in the recent times. The Lord of Seven Hills at Tirumala is best known for many things Darshan in spite of heavy influx of pilgrims, round the clock tonsuring activity, delicious Laddu prasadam and last but not least the tasty Annaprasadam which is being served to several thousands of pilgrims every day without any limit.

ANNAPRASADAM IS OUR SAVIOUR DURING PEAK RUSH PERIOD

Satisfying tens of thousands of pilgrims with darshan, accommodation, laddu prasadam is always been a Herculean Task to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). But the devotees always cheered the temple management for its efficient mechanism of providing unlimited food as “Annaprasadam”. The mobile food vans are a common feature and make their appearance in critical hours to serve the starving and tired devotees who stand in queue lines for hours. Annaprasadam is our big saviour during peak rush to pacify the pilgrims’ says the Tirumala JEO Sri K S Srinivasa Raju.

UNLIMITED FOOD DISTRIBUTION:

The serpentine queue lines outside the temple and at the Vaikuntam complex usually remain the regular visuals during peak season which constitutes around 200 days in a year where the pilgrim rush is usually between 80thousands to one lakh odd. Particularly for the children and aged, the TTD trolley vehicles carrying steaming coffee, milk and buttermilk move all around the queue lines in Narayanagiri Gardens to provide the beverages to pilgrims. The srivari seva volunteers who accompany these vehicles serve the waiting devotees. The food courts which have come up a year ago at Rambhagicha Bus Stand, CRO, PAC I have won the hearts of the pilgrims. “All we need is just half an hour notice to keep the mobile food vans rolling with hot food and ready to serve the devotees. The food includes tasty Sambar Rice, tamarind rice, Semiya Upma, Upma, Pongal and Curd rice and the menu keeps on changing at regular intervals to allure the pilgrims’’ says Sri Venugopal, the Dy EO of Annaprasadam.

ULTRA MODERN KITCHEN THAT FEEDS OVER FOUR CRORE PILGRIMS A YEAR

The food items for the devotees in queue lines and footpaths are prepared at the ultra-modern kitchen in the Vaikuntham complex where solar powered vessels make rice and dal in huge quantities apart from the mega kitchen at Matrusri Tarigonda Vengamamba Annaprasadam Complex (MTVAC) which alone feeds over 60 thousand pilgrims a day from morning to late night. ‘We follow the nutrition chart of CFTRI while preparing items as the objective is to provide healthy and hygienic food to say Sri GLN Shastry, the Catering Officer of Tirumala. TTD strives to serve the devotees and ensure that none would go hungry or starving on the hill shrine. On an average in a year over four crore pilgrims were being fed by Annaprasadam Wing of TTD”, he adds.