'Sanctity Of Tirupati Laddu Restored': TTD Says Committed To Protecting The Holiness Of Prasadam

Amid controversy over alleged use of animal fat in Tirupati laddus, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has said that the sanctity of the 'prasadam' has now been restored.

The temple board has also temporarily suspended the use of cow-based products in the preparation of Srivari Prasadams.

"The sanctity of Srivari laddu prasadam is restored again," TTD said in a late Friday night post on X.

"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 said in the post.

The temple body, which manages the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple on the hills of Tirumala, had Friday revealed the presence of sub-standard ghee and presence of beef tallow and lard in samples tested for quality.

Beef tallow is the fat of a cow and lard is the fat of pork.

TTD attributed part of the problem to the absence of an in-house ghee testing facility, which allowed suppliers to take advantage of the situation.

However, TTD announced plans to address this issue with the help of NDDB.

“NDDB has offered to donate ghee adulteration testing equipment, valued at Rs 75 lakh. It is expected to be operational by December or January as a permanent solution,” the EO said.

In response to the ghee adulteration issue, TTD has also temporarily halted the use of cow-based products in Srivari Prasadams and set up an expert committee to investigate quality concerns raised by devotees regarding Anna Prasadams.

"As a result, TTD formed a committee of experts to investigate, and it was found that there are deficiencies in quality. Supplies have been temporarily halted, and after a thorough examination, a decision will be made regarding whether or not to restore the same products," Rao added.

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