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Small enterprises and Tirumala temple body in Rs 500 million business a year

The Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams, administering the famous Venkateswara temple atop the Tirumala Hills and other temples in Andhra Pradesh and India, purchases huge quantities of various commodities worth about Rs 500 million annually.

The commodities are used for providing free meals and prasadams (votive offering).

TTD marketing sources said their institution is the only one where 40 kg of saffron (one kg costing Rs 30,000) is consumed a year for temple rituals. Besides, 20,000 quintals of superfine variety rice is purchased per annum for the free meal scheme.

The sources said a number cottage industries and women groups are being supported by the TTD by purchasing their products.

The Bhaghavathula Trust in Visakhapatnam district is supplying 2 million plate leaves and 300 quintals of mandara leaves every year.

Sixty quintals of cleaning powder is purchased from a cottage industry run by a group of physically handicapped people in Nellore town.

Some local bamboo-weaving women eke out their livelihood by supplying 110,000 bamboo baskets and 6,000 winnows. Soapnut powder and honey are purchased from the State Girijan Cooperative Corporation. Nearly 20 million plantain leaf cups supplied by a cottage industry in Tamil Nadu are used annually.

For the free meal scheme, the Pune-based Sri Venkateswara Hatcheries donates 52 truckloads of superfine variety rice costing Rs 7.5 million every year. The Tamil Nadu-based Sri Parvathi Industries supplies the entire requirement of 12 truckloads of crystal salt per annum.

Donations in the form of ghee, sago rice, wet grinders, kerosene stoves, paddy, etc, are being received in marketing godowns from various donors all over the country.

The TTD marketing division is also netting an income of about Rs 90 million every year by auctioning the human hair collected at Kalyanakatta Complex (tonsuring centre) at Tirumala.

UNI

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