A devotee who bought sambar rice at the pilgrim amenities centre in Madhava guest house in Tirupati, complained on Thursday, that he had found a centipede in his food.

The centre is run by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD).

According to reports, TTD officials manning the Annadanam canteen were taken aback when the devotee showed them the insect. Officials said it may have fallen into the vat while sambar was being mixed with rice. 

TTD executive officer D Sambasiva Rao has ordered a probe.

This is not the first such incident as items like iron pins, key chains and even gutka packets have been previously found in the temple's famous laddus.

In May last year, a devotee of the Venkateswara Temple atop Tirumala allegedly found a poisonous black centipede in the laddu.

The TTD has been conducting the 'Annadanam' for a while now, where it provides free tea, coffee, milk and buttermilk to the pilgrims visiting Tirumala.

It also provides hot, fresh food at a cheap rate, for the devotees.

In October last year, the temple management decided to extend the service, to reach out to more devotees that visit the hill.