Hyd man prepares 1,265 kg jumbo laddu to offer at Ayodhya temple

Hyderabad: With the Ayodhya Ram Mandir consecration date ticking near, religious fervour has gripped devotees all across India, and people are trying to contribute various items to Lord Rama. A man from Hyderabad, Nagabhushan Reddy, made a laddu weighing 1,265 kgs that will be offered at Ram Mandir, Ayodhya.

The laddu prasadam was taken to Ayodhya from Hyderabad through a grand procession by road on Wednesday. It will reach Ayodhya within three days, and the prasad has been taken in a refrigerated box. Around five vehicles proceeded with 18 persons, and on the inauguration day, January 22, it will be distributed to the devotees.

Stressing on the concept behind making 1,265 kgs of laddu, Rukmanania Reddy, brother of Nagabhushan Reddy, said, “On August 5, 2020, when the bhoomi puja of Ram Mandir took place, we thought about what offering could be given to Lord Ram. Later, we devised the plan to make 1,265 kgs of laddu between the day of the Bhoomi Pooja and the day of the temple’s opening, which is approximately 1,265 days.”

Describing the ingredients used to make the laddu, Nagabhushan Reddy, owner of Shree Ram Catering, said, “All the raw materials used for making laddu are of the best quality. Around 350 kgs of chickpea flour, 700 kgs of sugar, and 40 kgs of ghee topped with dry fruits are used. One special ingredient we used is pacha karpuram (camphor), which is specially brought from Tirupati. It is also a special quality of saffron (specially brought from Kashmir), and the life span of the laddu is 21 days. Along with giant sweet delicacies, around four laddus weighing 500 kgs will be offered at Garbhagriha.”

Stressing on procuring the ingredients, he said, “We used the best quality of ghee (Murugan Ghee), but obtaining the clarified butter (ghee) was a little difficult, as we approached them due to the non-availability of the stock and were assured that they would give us within two days. It then took close to 30 hours to complete the process and around three days to complete the sweet delicacy, with approximately 30 people assisting us in preparing it. It took us four hours just to assemble the laddu.

“I feel delighted and blessed. This is the first time that I did such a huge amount of work. We have worked incredibly hard and been very dedicated to this. This laddu has been constructed so that it won’t sustain any damage while in transit. Additionally, we have permission from the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to distribute laddu prasad to the devotees, as well as a food grade certificate from the food inspector,” he continued.