The new ‘laddu ATM’ allows devotees to pay for the sweet offering via UPI and collect it from the machine, a concept the temple likens to buying a snack at an airport. The pilot installation is intended to cut down the long queues that traditionally form at the temple’s prasadam counters.
Endowments Department Commissioner K. Ramachandra Mohan inaugurated the machine at the Central Information Centre at the foot of Indrakeeladri, in the presence of temple chairman Borra Radhakrishna (Gandhi), Executive Officer V. K. Seena Naik and other officials.
The temple’s Trust Board approved the vending machines, dubbed ‘laddu ATMs’, at a meeting on September 15. Sri Raj Computers & IT Solutions secured the contract for ₹6.95 lakh, which includes five years of maintenance for the equipment.
The initiative follows a similar move by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which introduced kiosks in 2025 that issue tokens for additional laddus to be collected at counters, showing a growing trend of digitising temple services.
Commissioner Mohan said the facility is part of broader preparations for the upcoming Dasara festivities, with plans to manage crowds, provide drinking water, shelter devotees from sun and rain, and ensure continuous security monitoring.
He also warned devotees against dealing with unauthorised intermediaries for darshan and puja tickets, citing a recent fake‑ticket case in Vijayawada. The temple has lodged a police complaint and urged worshippers to obtain tickets only through official government and temple digital platforms.
The vending machine will operate on a trial basis, and its performance will be reviewed before any decision is made to replicate the model at other high‑traffic temples across the state.