Purification ceremony at Tirumala Shrine amidst controversy over Prasadam

After allegations that Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) mixed animal fats with laddoos, a 4-hour purifying ritual was performed at the shrine to appease Lord Venkateswara Swamy.

After the purifying ceremony, the sanctity of the "prasadams" has been restored, allowing devotees to rest easily. This assurance was given by J Shyamala Rao, the executive officer of TTD.

A Tamil Nadu company which was allegedly selling poor ghee to the TTD temple authorities, has been served a show-cause notice by the Indian food safety agency.

A thorough inquiry and stringent measures are being called for, in response to allegations that Tirupati laddoos contain animal fat.

Former minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy has called for an inquiry by the courts. YV Subba Reddy, a Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) Member of Parliament (MP) and former chairman of TTD, has requested an investigation by an impartial commission led by a senior Supreme Court judge.

The highest organization of the Vishva Hindu Parishad has urged the Supreme Court to consider the claims of adulterating Tirupati laddoos on its own.

Chandrababu Naidu, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, has announced the formation of a special inquiry team to examine these allegations.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has inquired about the possibility of A R Dairy Food Private Ltd's central license being suspended for violating the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011.

The notice claimed that the FSSAI received information from the Director of the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh, noting that A R Dairy Food Private Ltd. in Dindigul has been a ghee supplier to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) for the past four years.

Earlier, Chandrababu Naidu claimed that during the previous Yuvajana Sramika Rythu (YSR) Congress Party's rule, pig fat was mixed with ghee used in the prasadam at the Tirupati temple.

Anam Venkatararamana Reddy, the spokesperson for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), released copies of a document to the public, claiming it to be the results of testing carried out on Prasadam at the National Dairy Development Board in Gujarat.

According to this document, the "sample" in this instance did in fact contain beef tallow, lard, and fish oil.

YSRCP chairman and former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has denied all the allegations.