Scan, pay, collect: Kanaka Durga temple installs Andhra Pradesh’s first ‘laddu ATM’
The Kanaka Durga temple in Vijayawada has introduced an automated 'laddu ATM' to allow devotees to purchase prasadam via UPI. This pilot project aims to reduce wait times and streamline the distribution process.
Why it matters
Demonstrates the integration of digital payment technology into traditional religious practices to improve efficiency.
Devotees at Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada can now get the Kanaka Durga temple’s laddu prasadam the way they would buy a snack at an airport: pay by UPI and collect it from a machine. The self-service vending machine, introduced on a pilot basis at the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam on Wednesday (September 23, 2026), is the first of its kind at a temple in Andhra Pradesh , temple authorities said.
Endowments Department Commissioner K. Ramachandra Mohan inaugurated the machine at the Central Information Centre at the foot of Indrakeeladri, near the beginning of Arjuna Veedhi, in the presence of temple chairman Borra Radhakrishna (Gandhi), Executive Officer V.K. Seena Naik and temple officials.
The laddu prasadam vending machine, decorated for its inauguration, at the foot of Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
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