Tirupati Laddu Row: Ayodhya Ram Temple 'Prasad' Samples Collected for Testing

Ayodhya: Amid the ongoing row over the alleged presence of animal fat in laddus at the Tirupati Temple in Andhra Pradesh, the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department on Friday collected samples of 'elaichi daana' or cardamom seeds being distributed as 'prasad' in Ayodhya's Ram Janmabhoomi temple and sent them for testing, officials said.

The action was initiated following a complaint lodged through the Integrated Grievance Redressal System (IGRS), Assistant Food Commissioner Manik Chand Singh confirmed.

Singh added that the samples were collected from Haiderganj, where the cardamom seed offerings are prepared, and sent to the Jhansi State Laboratory for thorough testing and evaluation.

Prakash Gupta, the officer in charge of the Ram Temple trust, stated that approximately 80,000 packets of cardamom seeds are distributed daily as a sacred offering.

In light of the ongoing controversy, the chief priest of the Ram temple recently questioned the purity of ghee being sold nationwide, asserting that 'prasad' should be prepared under the direct supervision of temple priests.