In Ballia, a small sweet shop has built a reputation that now stretches far beyond the district's borders, and even beyond the country. The shop's peda, a milk based Indian sweet, has been made the same way for forty years, and that consistency is exactly why customers keep coming back once they've tasted it. Strict attention to purity and quality has given this peda its own identity in the district, and it starts with milk sourced specifically from surrounding villages.
Four decades in business, settled at its third address
Shopkeeper Vishwakarma Sahu, who lives in Repura, runs the shop under the name Vishwakarma Peda Bhandar on the Ballia Bairia road in the town of Bahadurpur. He has been making peda for the past 40 years. His shop originally operated in the Vrindavan area of Ballia city, before he moved it to its current location in Bahadurpur in 2003. It has run from that spot ever since, and over four decades it has built a distinct reputation across the surrounding area. Maintaining the exact same taste and method for this long has become the shop's biggest claim to fame.
Village milk becomes khoya, then takes the shape of a peda
According to Sahu, making the peda demands a lot of labour even though the method itself is straightforward. Pure milk is first brought in from nearby villages. That milk is boiled down in a large pan to prepare khoya. Sugar is then mixed in as needed and the mixture is roasted again, so that both the sweetness and the thickness reach the right balance. Once the mixture reaches the correct texture, it is taken off the heat and left to cool. After cooling, it is shaped into pedas by hand. It is this old, traditional method that keeps the taste exactly as it was 40 years ago, and it is why people who try it once keep returning to this same shop.
Because it doesn't spoil quickly, its taste has travelled abroad
One major advantage of this peda is that it doesn't spoil quickly. That's why customers get it packed and carry it not just to distant cities but abroad as well. Cities such as Chhapra, Gauriganj and Ara in Bihar also see strong demand for it. The shop sells two varieties of peda, one priced at Rs 300 per kilogram and the other at Rs 400 per kilogram. Customers who want to buy smaller quantities can also purchase it by the piece at Rs 10 each, which means buyers across every budget can pick it up according to their needs.
Locals who have eaten this peda since childhood
Student leader and advocate Azad Bhola Pandey says he has been eating peda from Vishwakarma Sahu's shop since childhood. He says the peda from this shop, located along the national highway, is the most preferred in the area. He also says this peda has crossed Ballia's borders to build a reputation abroad. That trust among locals has carried on for generations, with families continuing to buy from this one shop generation after generation.
Where to find Vishwakarma Peda Bhandar
For anyone wanting to taste this famous local peda, reaching the shop is straightforward. Heading from Ballia railway station towards Haldi, just past Dubhar police station, the shop sits on the right side of the main road. Large numbers of people arrive here every day to buy peda, and many customers travel from far away specifically to pick some up from this shop.
