Fried & savoury
Appam
Also called Appa-padi; Gudappam; Nai Appam; Neyyappam-related forms.
Daily naivedyamOfficially documented
An ancient temple cake family with documented offerings spanning roughly a millennium.
What goes into it
Rice
jaggery
coconut
ghee in documented Tirumala formulation
Variants differ.
How it is made
Rice-based batter sweetened with jaggery; temple variants may be fried in ghee.
Exact temple kitchen formulae — the dittam — are not reproduced here unless the temple has published them. What is described is the culinary family, not a temple’s working recipe.
Where it is offered
Daily
Sri Venkateswara Swamy TempleTirumala / Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh · Breakfast · Panyaram/snack offering · Part of TTD-described daily naivedyam cycle.
Daily
Other documented occasions
Sri Padmavathi Ammavari TempleTiruchanoor / Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh · Kalyanotsavam; Thursday · Kalyanotsavam and Tiruppavada · TTD publicly documents this item in the Padmavathi temple ritual menu.
Weekly/special
Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha TempleSabarimala, Kerala · As booked/performed · Sabarimala · Listed on the official Sabarimala offering-rates page.
Current
Guruvayur Sree Krishna TempleGuruvayur, Kerala · Commonly reported Guruvayur offering; validate item name/rate against current official vazhipadu portal before publication.
Reported current
Not temple-confirmed
Not temple-confirmed
Kollur Sri Mookambika TempleKollur, Karnataka · Listed in the Kollur Mookambika temple offering/seva material used in this research.
Reported current
Not temple-confirmed
Not temple-confirmed
Historical record
Sri Ranganathaswamy TempleSrirangam, Tamil Nadu · 1087 CE and later temple records · Scholarship cites an 1087 CE Srirangam inscription recording 100 appam offerings.
Historical
2 of these records are not yet temple-confirmed. The research that produced this reference flagged them for direct confirmation with the temple, and they are shown here with that flag rather than removed. Treat them as reported, not established.
History and evidence
It appears in the historical and inscriptional record under the name Appa-padi.
Earliest documentation: At least 11th century at Srirangam; current.
Dietary note
Recorded as Yes in the tradition described. Commonly present: Coconut, milk/ghee.
This is informational, never a guarantee. Temple kitchens change formulations, use shared equipment and follow their own Āgamic rules. If an allergy matters to you, ask the temple directly.
Source
- Primary reference for this entry · Documented · confidence High
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327565233_Jewels_Set_in_Stone_Hindu_Temple_Recipes_in_Medie - Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple · Official/primary · checked 2026-08-15
https://news.tirumala.org/naivedyam-samarpayami-ritual-of-offering-food-to-lord/ - Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple · Official/primary · checked 2026-08-15
https://news.tirumala.org/mouth-watering-naivedyams-offered-to-goddess-of-riches-every-day-_-%E0%B0% - Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple · Official/primary · checked 2026-08-15
https://www.sabarimala.kerala.gov.in/index.php/offering-rates - Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple · Secondary source + official temple portal available · checked
https://www.kerala9.com/religion/guruvayur-temple-vazhipadu-list-2026-offering-rates-special-darshan - Kollur Sri Mookambika Temple · Temple website · checked
https://www.srimookambika.com/mookambika-temple-seva-list