Tirupati laddoos distributed at Ram Temple ceremony, says Chief Priest amid controversy

The chief priest of Ayodhya's Ram Temple, Acharya Satyendra Das, revealed that laddoos from the renowned Tirupati temple were distributed as prasadam during the Pran Prathistha ceremony earlier this year. This announcement comes in the midst of a growing controversy over allegations of animal fat contamination in the famous Tirupati laddoos, prompting calls for an investigation.

Speaking to the media, Acharya Satyendra Das confirmed, "Whatever laddoos were brought from Tirupati were given to devotees as prasad during the ceremony on January 22." Over one lakh laddoos were reportedly dispatched by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) for the event, which was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by over 8,000 dignitaries.

The Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, however, countered these claims, stating that only cardamom seeds were distributed as prasadam at the ceremony. Champat Rai, general secretary of the trust, reiterated, “We only distributed cardamom seeds and are awaiting the government's investigation report on the laddoo controversy.”

The row over Tirupati laddoos has spurred other temples across India to conduct tests on their prasadam offerings, with the Hanuman Garhi temple in Ayodhya affirming the use of pure ghee in their laddoos.