Ayodhya: Amid growing concerns among devotees about the purity of world-famous Tirupati ‘laddu prasadam’, Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir has banned the offerings prepared by external agencies. This comes amid claims of adulterated ghee being used for making laddus at Sri Venkateswara Temple, following which the temple authorities performed purification ritual.
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Ram Mandir‘s chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das questioned the purity of ghee being sold nationwide and said ‘prasad’ should be prepared under supervision of temple priests only. He also demanded a “complete ban” on prasad prepared by external agencies in all prominent temples and monasteries.
“Prasad to the deities should be prepared under the temple priests’ supervision and only such prasad should be presented to the deities,” said Das. “The controversy over the alleged use of fat and meat in Tirupati Balaji’s prasad is escalating across the country. Both seers and devotees are expressing anger and demanding an investigation,” he said.
He reiterated the need to inspect the purity of oil and ghee being sold nationwide, alleging an international conspiracy to desecrate the country’s monasteries and temples by mixing meat and fat in the offerings. He also urged the government to conduct strict inspections of the purity of oil and ghee available in the market.
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Lucknow Temple Bans Offerings Bought From Market
Earlier in a similar decision, Lucknow’s Mankameshwar Temple banned the offerings brought from the market. The temple administration has asked the devotees to bring homemade items for offerings. “We have taken an initiative in view of the Tirupati Prasadam row. There is always some adulteration in the food products. We have banned the prasad bought from outside in the ‘Garbh Grih’. We have requested the devotees to bring homemade prasad,” said Mahant Divya Giri.
Further, the Uttar Pradesh authorities also collected 43 samples of food items from 15 shops near religious sites in Mathura, Vrindavan. The samples were collected by the Food Safety and Drug Administration department and one ‘peda’ sample has been sent for testing in a Lucknow facility. FSDA Assistant Commissioner Dhirendra Pratap Singh said in the sampling campaign conducted at many places in Mathura and Vrindavan on Monday, 43 samples were collected from 15 vendors.
These include sweets and other items made from milk, ‘paneer’, ‘peda’, ‘barfi’, milk cake, ‘rasgulla’, ‘imarti’, ‘sonpapdi’, other sweets and spices. He said 42 of them were found to be within the standard but one sample of ‘peda’ was sent to Lucknow for testing.
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Controversy Over Tirupati Laddu Continues
The Tirupati Laddu, also called the ‘Srivari Laddu’, has been the main offering at the temple for more than 300 years. The newly-elected TDP government accused the previous YSRCP government of “adulteration” with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu claiming that animal fat was used in place of pure ghee, sparking concerns.
However, Jagan Mohan Reddy refuted the allegations and has written to Prime Minister Modi asserting that no violation took place under his government and the entire controversy is unwarranted. Reddy has called on devotees to take part in a special pooja across Andhra Pradesh this Saturday, September 28, to “atone the sin” and restore the sanctity of the Tirumala Tirupati Temple.
Amid the ongoing row, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams held a purification ritual called the ‘Shanti Homam’. It was performed in the kitchens where the laddu are prepared for offering.
(With agency inputs)
