Dry Flower Technology
The optimum utility of flowers and garlands used in Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams -run temples to make divine portraits besides household materials like paperweights, key chains, table calendars, pendants etc. using the traditional Dry Flower Technology method, has been a major hit with devotees.
Namami Govinda Products (Using Dry Flower Technology) – Key chain and others
Appreciation from State CM
The products have also earned the appreciation of the Honourable CM of AP Sri YS Jaganmohan Reddy and other Ministers from the State and Central. TTD and Dr YSR Horticultural University signed an MoU on September 13, 2021, for providing Dry flower technology to make popular products including portraits of the Hindu deities including Sri Venkateswara Swamy, Sri Padmavathi Devi, Sri Rama etc. that would attract the devotees in a big way.
Training and Equipment
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has also succeeded in the process as there is a huge demand for the DFT (Dry flower technology) portraits among devotees. As part of the agreement, the first batch of women workers were given training in making products at the Citrus Research Station.
From September 28 2021 onwards the training classes commenced.
As many as 340 women from self-help groups were provided training and roped in by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams to produce the artefacts. One person could make two portraits daily and another 3-4 days to deliver the final product. Till now, these trained women have made 22,219 portraits of A4 size and 850 other artefacts all worth Rs. 1.19 crores.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has spent ₹88 lakhs on the equipment besides training SHG women. TTD has commenced the sale of these portraits and artefacts to devotees from January 25. The artefacts are made available at TTD information centres in Tirumala, Tirupati Local temples, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Chennai.
Following the growing demand for DFT products from the pilgrim public, TTD has decided to construct a permanent shed to manufacture the artefacts which will soon be built at the Citrus Research Station.
