Hyderabad: A devotee claimed that she found tobacco wrapped in a paper inside a laddoo given as ‘prasadam’ at the famous Venketeswara temple in Tirupati.
The devotee, Donthu Padmavati, after visiting the temple on September 19 returned home with the prasadam to share with her family and neighbors. “As I was about to distribute the laddoo, I was horrified to find pieces of tobacco wrapped in a small paper,” said Padmavati, a resident of Khammam district.
“The prasadam is supposed to be sacred, and to find such contamination is heartbreaking,” she added.
A video of the laddoo containing a paper with a few tobacco flakes wrapped in it has gone viral on the internet.
A devotee, Donthu Padma from Gollagudem, #Khammam, discovered a #tobacco packet in her Srivari Laddu Prasadam after visiting #Tirupati with relatives.
Shocked & enraged, devotees are demanding strict action from the govt against those responsible for defiling the holy prasad. pic.twitter.com/jTCLUQ847E
— Hyderabad Netizens News (@HYDNetizensNews) September 23, 2024
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) promptly refuted the allegation saying the laddoos are prepared with utmost devotion following strict procedures. TTD has also approached the devotee and asked her to keep the laddoo safely for investigation.
“It is both misleading and deplorable to suggest the presence of tobacco in a system that is so rigorously controlled,” TTD said.
The Laddoo Potu in Tirumala where laddoos are prepared by Sri Vaishnava Brahmins is under continuous CCTV surveillance, TTD added.