About Tirupati Prasadam Laddus: Ingredients In Focus
The Tirupati Temple, located in the town of Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh, is one of the most revered Hindu pilgrimage sites in India. Dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, a form of Lord Vishnu, the temple attracts millions of devotees every year, making it one of the wealthiest and most visited temples globally.
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One of the most famous aspects of the Tirupati temple is its prasadam, especially the iconic Tirupati Laddu. This sacred offering has been distributed to devotees for centuries and is cherished not just for its taste but for the divine blessings it represents.
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The laddu is supposed to be made using high-quality ingredients such as gram flour, sugar, cashews, raisins, and ghee, all prepared with utmost care and devotion in the temple’s kitchens. The temple's prasad preparation is closely monitored to maintain its purity and sanctity. It has always been believed that the Tirupati Laddu is made in large quantities daily, under strict hygiene standards, and with deep devotion to ensure its sanctity as a sacred offering.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) an autonomous body, established in 1933,that manages the administration of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh is responsible for overseeing not just the daily functioning of the temple but also various charitable, social, and cultural activities. Apart from temple administration, TTD also manages the preparation and distribution of the Tirupati Laddu, the famous prasad, ensuring that the sacred offering meets the highest standards of quality.
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What Is The Recent Controversy Surrounding The Tirupati Laddus?
To give some context, in the 2024 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), led by N. Chandrababu Naidu formed an alliance with the JSP and BJP under the NDA alliance, defeating the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in a speech made at a celebration of the NDA regime’s 100-day milestone, claimed that there was animal fat being used in the preparation of the famous Tirupathi Laddu Prasadam.
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Earlier in July, this year, the TTD, held a press conference where it was said that the ghee consignment sent to Tirupati by one of the suppliers was found adulterated. The TTD usually does a quality check for the ingredients that go into the laddu, especially the ghee as it’s a defining ingredient as far as the taste and the aroma of this coveted prasadam are concerned.
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There have been concerns earlier as well about substandard or adulterated ghee being used to make the laddu, especially since ghee is an expensive ingredient and large quantities are needed from vendors to meet the demand for the large volumes of prasad being prepared in the temple kitchens every day. However, most reports including the recent one, have suggested that the adulteration came from using vanaspati or dalda, a vegetable fat made from refined vegetable oil.
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Is There Evidence Of Animal Fat Being Used To Prepare The Tirupati Laddus?
While CM Naidu claimed that ‘animal fat’ was being used to make the parasam laddus at the Tirupati Temple, since the regime of the YSRCP party, at the moment there is no real evidence to back this fleeting statement.
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A lab report from the National Dairy Development Board (CALF) in Anand, Gujarat, is what was at the heart of this controversy. This report suggested the adulteration in the fats being used to make the laddus at the temple. It was circulating on social media and as with most controversial reports these days, immediately became viral and sparked angry debates among practising Hindus, devotees whose sentiments were hurt, religious leaders, self appointed culture custodians, politicians and the media.
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While many acclaimed media agencies and publications, in time, got hold of this eight-page report and assessed it, most of them confirmed that the widely shared image was the annexure on the final page. While the report suggests that there could be possible adulteration in the ghee used to prepare the laddus since the S-values, a chemical measure seems to be different from what is the norm, which is usually indicative of foreign fats being present.
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This foreign fact could be fish oil and beef tallow. The report says that further testing will be needed to figure out what these foreign fats exactly are. The lab results suggest adulteration and do not confirm the presence of animal fat.