TTD Performs Homam To Purify Tirumala temple

Vijayawada: In a bid to ward off evil effects, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) performed ‘Shanti Homam’ amid chanting of Vedic hymns by a large contingent of priests at Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara on Monday even as separate petitions including one from economist and politician Subramaniam Swamy were filed in the apex court.

As use of animal fat comprising fish oil, beef tallow and lard (pig fat) in ghee for making of laddus offered at Tirumala, considered the holiest site in the entire world for the Hindus snowballing into a major controversy, many are demanding either a court monitored investigation into the allegations for committing sacrilege or entrust the entire case to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The State Government has declared to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by a senior police officer not below the rank of Inspector General.

The controversy arose after Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at a meeting of NDA legislators at Amaravati to celebrate 100 days of government-formation said a NDDB lab report of samples examined at Tirumala in July confirmed the use of animal fat and questioned how quality cow ghee could be procured for around Rs 300 per kg through reverse tendering during YSRCP regime when quality ghee costs not less than Rs 900. The charge has been stoutly denied by YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who on Sunday dashed off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ‘punish’ Naidu for making malicious charges.

“The Shanti Homam through certain rituals was completed in four hours,” TTD Chairman J Shyamala Rao told the media at Tirumala. He said the homam was conducted as an atonement to get away from its ill-effects and announced the decision of the Union Government to set up a Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) lab to be set up at Tirumala. Earlier, TTD, in a posting on X, declared the purification of Tirumala temple after confirmation of the animal fat in the ghee used for making of laddus. The iconic laddus have GI tagging and on an average, the temple kitchen makes 3.5 lakh laddus per day.

Besides Subramaniam Swamy, YSRCP MP and former TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy lodged a separate petition before the Supreme Court. The prasadam being served at popular temples across the State has come under the scanner after the raging controversy over use of animal fat in the making of Tirumala Laddus. Meanwhile, a top official told Bizz Buzz that the authorities are launching a crackdown on complaints of using poor quality ghee for preparation of prasadam at various temples under ‘Operation Ghee.’

Several leading ghee producers denied their involvement in using ghee for any temple even as Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the richest Hindu temple at Tirumala declared the restoration of sanctity of Srivari Laddu Prasadam.

The Indian ghee market dominated by Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat dairies was estimated at Rs 3,203 billion in 2023. It is projected to reach Rs 6,931 billion by 2032 accounting for a growth at CAGR 9 per cent.

There is overwhelming demand for testing samples from prasadam offered at Srikalahasti temple near Tirupati, Simhadri Apanna temple at Simhachalam, Satyanarayana Swamy temple at Annavaram, Ranganath temple at Nellore, Mallikarjuna Swamy temple at Srisailam, Ahobilam temple at Anantapur and other temples. Bheemili MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao and Prathipadu MLA V Satyaprabha demanded regular prasadam sample tests at Simhachalam and Annavaram following complaints of deterioration in quality.