Mysuru: Sri Yoganarasimhaswamy Temple authorities will be distributing two lakh ladoos to devotees on January 1.

The ladoos will be distributed free of cost to devotees and visitors of the temple, following a practice of distributing Tirupathi style ladoos that the temple authorities started on New Year day in 1994. To start with they distributed 1000 ladoos and the number gradually increased and now stands at 2 lakh. Last year they distributed nearly 1.5 lakh ladoos.

Forty cooks have been roped in to prepare 2 lakh ladoos in temple premise and they are on job since December 21.

The cooks for nearly ten days work round the clock to make quality and delicious ladoos. Bhasyam Swamiji, founder of the temple, who lives in Vijayanagar said “more than one lakh devotees come for darshan on Jan 1 and all of them will be given free ladoos. The cost involved to make said number of ladoos is about Rs 25 lakh to Rs 30 lakh, which is borne by devotees”.

HA Ganesh, head cook who is involved in preparing ladoo for the past eight years said “Every month in the beginning of December the temple authorities confirm to us the numbers required. Soon after confirmation from the temple authorities we pool the required number of cooks. Nearly 40 cooks are proficient in preparing ladoo. This year we started work from December 21 and it will go on till December 31. Every day our staff start the work at 6 am and continue till late night”.

Several quintals of gram flour, 100 quintals of sugar, 100kg cashew,100kg raisins, 50kg badam, 50 kg crystal sugar, 10kg Pista, 20kg Elachi, 20kg Jakayi and Japatre, 5kg Pache Karpura, 50kg lavanga among other exotic ingredients are used to make these ladoos.

Venugopal, employee of the temple who is supervising the cooks said “Most of the ladoos get over on January 1 itself and if required cooks prepare few more ladoos. Apart from distributing ladoos 10 quintal of puliyogare will also be served on January 1.