One 'Tirupati Laddu' free of cost to all visiting Lord Balaji

Every devotee offering prayers at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala will get one "laddu prasadam" free of cost from January 20, a top administrator of the shrine said on Sunday.

The decision to offer the most sought after 'Tirupati laddu', a sweet dish, free of cost (one each to the devotees) was taken by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Board, which manages the cash-rich ancient shrine, its Chairman Y V Subba Reddy said.

The devotees who desire to have more laddus would have to pay Rs.50 for every additional piece, he said.

A senior temple official told PTI that more than 25 million devotees from across the world throng the hill shrine annually.

On the arrangements for the most auspicious "Vaikuunta Ekadesi" annual festival on Monday, Reddy said the sacred doors of the 'Vaikunta' passage encircling the sanctum sanctorum would be kept open for only two days as has been the practice.

Earlier, the TTD was contemplating to keep it open for ten days.

Keeping in view the expected heavy rush of devotees, elaborate arrangements have been put in place for the festival to be observed with religious pomp on the Hills from early Monday, he added.