Tirupati: Srivari Agarbattis to spread fragrance in homes soon

Tirupati: Devotees of Sri Venkateswara Swamy across the globe could soon begin their daily routine amidst the fragrance emanating from the incense sticks produced by the TTD.

The production of seven brands of Agarbattis is in the final stage and ready for launch as per schedule on September 13.

The seven brands of Agarbattis indicating the seven hills of Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, the most popular Hindu God are Abhayahasta (100 grams at Rs 60), Tandanana (100 grams at Rs 60), Divya Pada (100 grams at Rs 60), Akrusti (65 grams at Rs 125), Shrusti (65 grams at Rs 125.), Tushti (65 grams at Rs 125) and Drusti to spread divine aroma in the homes of devotees.

The preparation of incense sticks or Agarbattis out of the used aromatic flower garlands gathered from all the TTD temples will be ready to scent the houses of devotees from next week onwards, according to TTD sources.

The TTD management conceived the project of reusing tons of flower garlands used in all its temples daily and in huge quantities during festivals and special occasions as Agarbattis instead of dumping them, going as waste.

After several consultations, it entered into an agreement with Bengaluru-based Darshan International Private Limited to produce Agarbattis in a cost-effective and non-profit way.

As per the agreement, the TTD provided required land and civil constructions to the company which installed machinery and required staff and started experimental production of Agarbattis a few days ago.

Making of Agarbattis: All the used flowers and garlands are transported by the TTD garden department to SV Goshala Agarbatti Production Centre where trained personnel categorise the flowers and mechanically dry and transform the residue into powder.

Thereafter the powder is mixed with chemicals and water into a paste which is then produced as Agarbatti sticks. Later, they are dried in machines for 15-16 hours and soaked in aromatic liquid again in another machine. After another round of drying they are packed in machines for the final product-the divine aromatic Agarbattis.

The TTD has installed 10 state-of-the-art machines to produce 3.5 lakh Agarbattis daily.