A devotee from Andhra Pradesh has alleged that she found tobacco wrapped in paper inside a Tirupati laddu, received as prasadam at the renowned Sri Venkateswara temple. The claim has surfaced amidst a previous controversy regarding the presence of animal fat in the laddus, sparking a political row in Andhra Pradesh.
The devotee, Donthu Padmavati from Khammam district, visited the temple on September 19. Upon returning home and preparing to distribute the laddu among her family, she reportedly discovered pieces of tobacco wrapped in a small paper. “A sense of shock and disappointment was expressed when this discovery was made,” Padmavati reportedly conveyed. “The prasadam is considered sacred, and such contamination was deemed unacceptable,” she further added.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which oversees the temple’s operations, has strongly denied the allegations. According to a statement from the temple authorities, the claim was labeled as “misleading and deplorable.” “It was noted that the laddus are prepared with strict procedures and continuous CCTV surveillance,” a TTD representative stated. The laddus, made by Sri Vaishnava Brahmins in the Laddu Potu, are said to undergo rigorous quality control measures.
In response, the TTD has requested the devotee to preserve the laddu for further investigation, as they aim to address the controversy and maintain the temple’s long-standing reputation.