Ayodhya Ram Temple sends prasad for testing amid Tirupati laddu controversy

Amid reports of a possible presence of animal fat in the laddus served as prasad at the Tirupati Balaji temple, the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has sent samples of its prasad to a government laboratory in Jhansi for testing.

This action was prompted by a devotee who requested an investigation into the "elaichi dana" (cardamom seeds) given as prasad at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The devotee submitted the request through the Integrated Grievance Redressal System (IGRS) portal of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Recognising the gravity of the situation, the food safety department collected samples from Haiderganj, the locality where the prasad is prepared.

Assistant Commissioner (Food) Manik Chandra Singh confirmed that these samples have been sent to a government lab in Jhansi for analysis. The temple distributes around 80,000 packets of prasad daily, consisting of cardamom seeds and sugar—a practice that began after Ram Lalla was moved from a temporary structure to the new temple last year.

The development comes amid calls for reforms in the preparation and distribution of prasad across Ayodhya, Prayagraj, and Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. In Ayodhya, chief priest Satyendra Das has called for a complete prohibition on prasad made by external agencies, highlighting the ongoing controversy surrounding alleged animal fat and meat usage in the prasad at Tirupati Balaji.

Das also suggested that there might be an international conspiracy aimed at defiling temples by introducing inappropriate substances into offerings. In Mathura, the Dharma Raksha Sangh has decided to return to traditional prasad recipes, opting for offerings made from fruits, flowers, and other natural ingredients instead of commercially produced sweets.

The issue gained further attention after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged last week that substandard ingredients and animal fat had been used in the preparation of laddus at the Tirupati Temple during the previous administration. In response, the YSR Congress Party accused Naidu of making baseless allegations for political reasons, which led to the establishment of a Special Investigation Team to probe the claims.

(With agency inputs)