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Amid the row over the Tirupati Prasadam quality having been compromised by the use of substances like vegetable oil, and animal fat emerged, the priests and the devotees at the Chilkur Balaji Temple on the outskirts of Hyderabad conducted Prayaschitta Pradakshinam on Sunday.
Rangarajan, Chilkur Balaji temple, head priest said, "After news broke that the laddu at Tirupati has been compromised by using foreign substances like vegetable oil and animal fat, the priests and devotees at the Chilkur Balaji Temple, on the outskirts of Hyderabad, conducted Prayaschitta Pradakshinam. Venkateshwara Swamy himself came to the Chilkur Balaji Temple and said that those who couldn't go to Tirumala could come here and receive blessings equal to those of a Tirumala visit. They circumambulated the temple 11 times, symbolizing Prayashchitta." He further said that additionally, there are concerns about how officials determine the quantity of nivedya for the Lord and the use of adulterated ghee in nivedya and prasadam. "Even in our own homes, we purchase quality products; it raises the question of how the officials sourced such inferior ingredients for manufacturing prasadam," he added. Earlier head priest of Chilkur Balaji temple said that it is not just a "controversy" but "directly hurting the sentiments" of crores of people. Speaking to ANI, the temple's head priest Rangarajan said, "For the last two days I have been seeing media reports about the controversy on Tirupati Laddoo. It's not a controversy, it's directly hurting sentiments of crores of people like us. Mostly who believe in the Sanatan Dharma worship of the deity." Rangarajan also criticised the tendering process to make the prasad laddoos and urged action against those responsible for the alleged adulteration. "What has happened is we have been already saying the process of tendering: when you purchase ingredients for laddoo, you go for the lowest bidder; the moment you go for the lowest bidder, you are asking for trouble. In fact, the best cow ghee today cannot be less than 1000 per kg. How can a person quote Rs 320? If someone quotes 320, every packet is adulterated. It's a big hurting issue, we have to find the culprit and book them," he said. On September 19, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu stirred a political controversy after he claimed that the ghee used in the preparation of Tirupati laddoo prasadam, offered at Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple in Tirupati, contained animal fat during the previous YSRCP government. Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the Tirumala hills of Andhra Pradesh's Tirupati district. (ANI)
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