ANANTAPUR: Amid the ongoing dispute over the alleged adulteration of Sri Vari laddu prasadam with the presence of pig fat, beef fat, fish oil and other impurities in the ghee, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) on Saturday decided to conduct ‘Maha Santhi Yagam at Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple for three days starting from September 23.
The TTD convened an emergency meeting to address the issue of preserving the sanctity of Tirumala temple as the issue of ghee adulteration hurt the sentiments of crores of devotees across the country. TTD executive officer J. Shyamala Rao and additional executive officer Venkayya Chowdary had conducted a meeting with Agama advisors and senior officials at the TTD administration building in Tirupati and decided to perform the three-day long yagam.
Normally, the TTD performs pavithrotsavam every year to maintain the sanctity of the temple premises. However, the presence of foreign fats including soya bean oil, sunflower oil, palm kernel oil, fish oil and even pig fat or beef fat caused embarrassment to the devotees and also Agama pundits. A priest recalled, “We are not even using chili in preparing prasadams as only pepper has been allowed for many centuries, following the customs seriously.”
The TTD decided to conduct the yagam after CM N. Chandrababu Naidu directed them to perform it by following the Agama sastra. As part of Maha Santhi Yagam, the priests will perform special pujas and homas to Lord Venkateswara for three days. Further, the Potu Sala and storage point of ghee will also be cleaned and performed with homam.
