Tirumala serves three lakh free meals a day under TTD Annaprasadam scheme
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) operates one of the world's largest free meal programs, serving nearly three lakh portions of food daily to pilgrims. The initiative, known as the Annaprasadam scheme, has been a cornerstone of the temple's humanitarian efforts since 1985.
Why it matters
This highlights the scale of religious-led social welfare programs in India and their role in addressing food insecurity.
Tirumala, the hill abode of Lord Venkateswara, serves nearly three lakh free portions of food every day to pilgrims visiting the temple town. In a world where hunger is still a daily fact for millions, it is one of the largest free meal programmes anywhere. What began as the Nitya Annadanam scheme on April 6, 1985, has grown into a vast humanitarian enterprise under the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams’ (TTD) Sri Venkateswara Annaprasadam Trust. It stands as one of the defining pillars of the Tirumala pilgrimage, ensuring that every devotee receives wholesome food free of cost, in keeping with the old Indian adage “Annadanam-Mahadanam”.
The article is a straightforward, descriptive report on a charitable program.
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