Tirupati Laddu row: Ram Temple chief priest calls for ban on outsourced ‘prasad’

Amid concerns about the alleged presence of animal fat in Tirupati laddus, the chief priest of the Ram temple on Thursday questioned the purity of ghee sold across the country and said that ‘prasad’ should only be prepared under the supervision of temple priests.

Acharya Satyendra Das also called for a “complete ban” on ‘prasad’ prepared by external agencies in all major temples and monasteries.

“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,” PTI quoted him as saying.

In an appeal to all monasteries and temples across the country, he said, “Prasad for the deities should be prepared under the supervision of temple priests, and only such ‘prasad’ should be offered to the deities.”

He reiterated the importance of inspecting the purity of oil and ghee sold nationwide, alleging an international conspiracy to undermine the sanctity of the country’s monasteries and temples by mixing meat and fat into offerings.

He also urged the government to enforce strict inspections of the purity of oil and ghee available in the market.

Meanwhile, several temple authorities across Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj have advised devotees to bring alternatives such as dry fruits and coconut instead of sweets, news agency PTI reported on Thursday.

Prominent temples which have enforced these restrictions are Alop Shankari Devi, Bade Hanuman Temple, Mankameshwar Temple and Lalita Devi Temple among others.

Shiv Murat Mishra, the chief priest of the famous Lalita Devi temple, said, “In the meeting of our temple management held on Tuesday, it was decided that prasad of sweets will not be offered to the goddess in the temple, but devotees have been requested to offer coconut, fruits, dry fruits, cardamom, etc.”

He added that plans were underway to open shops inside temple premises where ‘pure’ sweets will be made available to the devotees.

Mahant Shridharanand Brahmachari Ji Maharaj of the Mankameshwar temple said they have written to the district magistrate to test the ‘laddu-peda’ being sold outside the temple.

With PTI inputs