Time, Hindu mythology tells us, stops when Sheshanaga coils and moves when he uncoils. But on any given day at Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, the king of the nagas remains tightly wound. Minutes plod into hours as devotees of Venkateswara, Sheshanaga's presider, form serpentine queues (Shesha would be pleased) for laddoo tokens.
Tirumala Venkateswara isn't the only temple in Tirupati offering laddoos as prasadam. But its offerings of besan, sugar, ghee, cardamom, dry fruits and edible camphor – known as the Sri Vari Laddu – spawn innumerable copycats. "And a black market," sniggers Deva, the affable driver accompanying me to laddoo central. There was a time when one laddoo would be given per devotee. Not anymore. People can buy a maximum of two per token in denominations of Rs10 (subsidised) and Rs25. "Many sell it outside the complex for Rs100 and even higher," Deva adds.
After getting the token, one has to proceed to the few counters designated for 'laddoo bags'. Yes, there are queues for plastic bags too.
Collect your bag and pray to Venkateswara, Christ, Allah, Flying Spaghetti Monster, or whoever suits your fancy. Because the 'final queue' is, in essence, a mosh pit or black hole (again, whatever suits your fancy). When you think about it, there's no black and white when it comes to this holy offering. This is where people who have braved heat, exhaustion and irritation in the 'white zone' finally come undone. As Sheshanaga remains tightly coiled, fights ensue: shirts are pulled, cheeks (not those ones) are slapped, hair gets yanked and curses are exchanged. Armed with their plastic bags, devotees steamroll into one another with the ferocity of Narasimha as they move ahead. Multiple hands get jammed in the counter as a Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) employee nonchalantly thrusts two golden laddoos into each now-rumpled plastic bag.
Is this the best laddoo you'll ever have? To many, it isn't. But savour it, and you'll perhaps understand why the Sri Vari Laddu is so mighty, both in form and reputation. Ensconced within its 100gm is not only the blessing of Lord Venkateswara, but also the faith of millions. Why, VIPs even dash off letters to the TTD administration to get higher quotas than the usual two.
But here's the thing: that humble chakkara pongal (sweet rice) distributed to everybody after each darshan? That's the one going straight to your heart.
