Ghee used at Puri Jagannath temple to be tested amid Tirupati laddoo row
The Odisha government agreed on Tuesday to test the quality of ghee used to make offerings at Puri's Jagannath temple, according to an official.
PTC News Desk: The Odisha government agreed on Tuesday to test the quality of ghee used to make offerings at Puri's Jagannath temple, according to an official.
The decision was made after a controversy over the suspected usage of animal fat in the ghee used to make laddoos at the Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh.
Puri's District Collector, Siddharth Shankar Swain, stated that, while there have been no such complaints, the administration will test the purity of ghee used to prepare 'Kotha Bhoga' (prasad for the deities) and 'Baradi Bhoga' (prasad on request) at the 12th-century shrine.
He stated that the state-run Odisha Milk Federation (Omfed) is the exclusive supplier of ghee for use in the Puri temple.
"However, a decision has been taken to examine the standard of ghee being supplied by Omfed to allay any fear of adulteration," he said.
Jagannath Swain Mohapatra, a servitor, stated that previously adulterated ghee was used to light 'diyas' or lamps on temple premises.
"That's been stopped. We will request that the temple's chief administrator conduct a thorough examination of the ghee used here," he stated, emphasising the importance of devotee faith.
The quality of laddoos at the Tirupati temple has come under national scrutiny after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu stated that substandard ingredients and animal fats were used to make them during the previous YSRCP government.