Sanctity of Tirupati ‘Laddu Prasadam’ restored, says Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams
News Mania Desk/ Piyal Chatterjee / 21st September 2024
Concerns regarding the purity of the ghee used in the well-known Tirupati “laddu prasadam” have grown among devotees, but the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) have promised that the integrity of the sacred offering has been entirely restored.The TTD, which is in charge of the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple situated in the Tirumala Hills, confirmed the holiness of the esteemed Srivari Laddu in a social media post on Friday evening.
“The divinity and purity of Srivari laddu is unblemished now. TTD is committed to protecting the holiness of Laddu Prasadam to the satisfaction of all the devotees,” the temple board stated.
Prior to this, the management of the temple disclosed that during quality testing, it had found ghee that was below par, containing fat. This revelation came after two days of accusations made by the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu.
The previous YSRCP government was the target of accusations, which former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy dismissed as “diversion politics” and called a “concocted story.” In response, the Central government promised to take appropriate action based on the findings and has requested a thorough report from the Andhra Pradesh government.
The claims pertaining to the adulteration of ghee used in the temple’s prasadam have prompted Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi to demand an investigation.
TTD said on Friday that testing had verified the presence of lard (pig fat) and other contaminants in specific samples, citing a lab report. The contractor that supplied the tainted ghee is currently being placed on a blacklist by the board, according to TTD Executive Officer J Shyamala Rao.
