Tobacco in Tirupati Laddus: Look what the devotees have to say.

Devotees Speak Out on Tobacco Controversy in Tirupati Laddus: Their Reactions

Written by: Supriya Kadu

Edited by: Omkar Devadkar

Last Updated: September 24, 2024

Summary: A woman has claimed she found wrapped tobacco in a piece of paper inside the laddu given to her as a prasad at the Shri. Venkateswara temple.

A devotee has accused the Tirupati authorities of putting tobacco wrapped in the prasad given to her; however, the authorities have said the allegation is fake.

Before this, there were allegations of using animal fat for making laddus at the famous Shri. Venkateswara temple, which created a major political dispute in Andhra Pradesh. While the authorities refused these allegations earlier, now there’s new development in the allegation.

A native of Khammam district, Donthu Padmavati, claimed to find tobacco wrapped in the prasad given to her at the Tirupati temple.

Expressing her disappointment and anger, she said, “As I was about to distribute the laddu, I was horrified to find pieces of tobacco wrapped in a small paper. The prasadam is supposed to be sacred, and to find such contamination is heartbreaking.”

These recent developments are shocking for the many devotees of Tirupati. The Tirupati laddu, a highly valued offering, has long served as a symbol of purity and devotion for countless devotees. But now it has raised concerns about the safety of all these devotees who visit the temple.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has denied all these allegations, saying that the making of laddus at the temple is done with utmost care and devotion by Sri Vaishnava Brahmins at the Laddu Potu in Tirumala. All these preparations are done under CCTV surveillance.

The TTD said, “It is both misleading and deplorable to suggest the presence of tobacco in a system that is so rigorously controlled."

This came to light after Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, claimed that poor ingredients like animal fat were used to make the laddus at the temple.

A four-hour purification ritual was held at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam temple in honor of Lord Venkateswara Swamy after these accusations.

J. Shyamala Rao, the executive officer of TTD, has assured the devotees of resting their concerns regarding the laddus as the holiness of the 'prasadams' has been restored after the purifying ceremony.