Tirupati prasadam row: Temple board conducts purification ritual after animal fat found in laddoos
Tirupati temple
A cleansing ritual was performed at the Tirupati temple in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Monday (Sep 23) after reports claimed that the 'prasadam' (offering) was adulterated with animal fats, including beef tallows.
The ritual calledthe Mahashanti Yagamwas performed in strict accordance with the shastras (manual with rules). Eight temple priests,guided bythree Agama Shastra advisors led the cleansing ritual that started around 5:40 am local time and concluded within two hours. Notably,Agama advisors are Vedic scholars who oversee temple rituals.
Executive officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), Shamala Rao, along with other officials and priests, participated in thepurification ritual.
The ritual was performed a day after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naiduordered an SIT probe into the alleged use of animal fat in making the consecrated laddoos.
Watch |Tirupati Laddu Row: New vendor appointed, promises of purity
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Penanceby Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan
On Saturday (Sep 21). Andhra Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan announced that he was undertaking an 11-dayritualistic penance to atone for the use of contentious ingredients in the temple kitchen.
Kalyan called the incident a "stain on the Hindu race", adding that those practising the 'Sanatan Dharma' needed to stand up now.
"Tirumala Laddu Prasadam, which is considered to be sacred,has become impure as a result of the depraved tendencies of the past rulers. Contaminated with animal remains. Only open minds can succumb to such sin. Not being able to detect this sin in the beginning is a stain on the Hindu race," said Kalyan.
What is thecontroversy?
The controversy erupted after CM Chandrababu Naidu last week alleged that his predecessor Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government allowed the use of substandard ingredients in the preparation of laddoos, which included animal fat and fish oil.
On Thursday (Sep 19), a lab report fromGujarat’s NDDB CALF lab confirmed the presence of lard, beef tallow and fish oil in ghee samples. The report, dated July 16, 2024, was presented by TDP spokesperson Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy in a press conference.
(With inputs from agencies)