Laddu row: Govt instructs temples to use only ‘Nandini’ ghee

Bengaluru: With Tirupati Laddu row snowballing into a major controversy, Karnataka government on Friday issued a circular instructing all temples coming under the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Department, to maintain quality in ‘prasada’ prepared there.

The temples have also been asked to only use the Nandini brand ghee of the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) at the temples. “It is hereby instructed that at all notified temples that come under the Karnataka State Religious Endowment Department to only use Nandini ghee compulsorily for ‘sevas’ (services), lamps, preparation of all kinds of prasadas, and at ‘Dasoha Bhavans’ (where food is served),” the circular said.

It said, “It is instructed to maintain quality in prasada at the temples.”

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the super-rich Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple on Friday revealed it has come across sub-standard ghee and presence of lard in samples tested for quality, echoing claims first made by Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu two days ago.