Investigators have so far recovered ₹79.85 lakh, according to the prosecution. File photo
| Photo Credit: -PTI

Ayodhya Ram Temple
| Photo Credit: Kavya Pradeep

Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrives to investigate the alleged theft of donations to the Ayodhya Ram Temple, in Ayodhya. File.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Uttar Pradesh Congress State President Ajay Rai and others offer prayers at Hanuman Temple, in Ayodhya, on June 30, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI

A file image of the Ayodhya Ram temple.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Lucknow:

The controversy over the alleged adulteration of Tirupati Temple laddus has sparked reactions from Ayodhya, Prayagraj, and Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, with calls for reform in the preparation and distribution of ‘prasad’.

In Ayodhya, the chief priest of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, Satyendra Das, demanded a “complete ban” on prasad prepared by external agencies.

He expressed concerns over the purity of ghee used in temple offerings, urging that “all prasad should be prepared under the supervision of temple priests”.

“The controversy over the alleged use of fat and meat in Tirupati Balaji’s prasad is escalating across the country,” Das noted, emphasising the need for stringent inspections of the quality of oil and ghee sold nationwide.

He alleged that there was an international conspiracy to desecrate temples by mixing inappropriate substances in offerings.

In Mathura, the Dharma Raksha Sangh announced its decision to revert to the “ancient style” of ‘prasadam’ recipes, replacing commercially produced sweets with offerings made from fruits, flowers and other natural ingredients.

Saurabh Gaur, the national president of the Sangh, stressed the need for significant reforms in the prasadam system, saying, “A consensus had been reached among religious leaders and organisations to return to traditional practices of offering and accepting pure, Satvik Prasadam.” In ‘Sangam city’ Prayagraj, several temples, including Alop Shankari Devi, Bade Hanuman, and Mankameshwar, have banned devotees from bringing sweets and processed items as offerings.

Shiv Murat Mishra, the chief priest of the Lalita Devi Temple, said the management decided to request devotees to bring only coconuts, fruits, and dry fruits.

“Until the purity of the sweets is clear in the investigation, they will not be allowed to be offered in the temple,” said Mahant Shridharanand Brahmachari Ji Maharaj of the Mankameshwar Temple.

Yamuna Puri Maharaj, chief patron of the Alop Shankari Devi Temple and secretary of Shri Panchayati Akhara Mahanirvani, said devotees will not be allowed to bring sweets and prasad from outside.

Mahant Balbir Giri Ji Maharaj, the patron of the Bade Hanuman temple located on the Sangam coast and head of the Shrimath Baghambari Gaddi, said, “After the construction of the corridor of the temple is completed, the temple management itself will prepare ‘laddu-peda’ prasad for the Shri Bade Hanuman temple.”

On Monday, the famous Mankameshwar temple in Lucknow also banned offerings bought by devotees from outside and said they could offer homemade ‘prasad’ or fruits.

The temple management said it was also taking steps to ensure the purity of prasad offered on the site, with plans to conduct quality checks and potentially establish its own prasad production facilities.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had last week claimed that substandard ingredients and animal fat were used in the preparation of laddus at the Tirupati Temple during the previous government.

The YSRCP responded by accusing Naidu of making baseless allegations for political gains, leading to the formation of a Special Investigation Team to probe the claims. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

In January, during the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, 300 kilograms of ‘prasad’ from the Tirupati temple was distributed to devotees, confirmed Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of the temple. This revelation comes in the wake of a controversy surrounding the alleged use of animal fat in ghee in the preparation of laddoos at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati, managed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).

“If animal fat was mixed in the ‘prasad’, it is unforgivable. Strict action should be taken against those responsible,” Mr Das said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

The TTD revealed that the lab report confirmed the presence of lard and other impurities in ghee used by a contractor. An official stated that the contractor responsible for supplying adulterated ghee had been blacklisted and legal proceedings were initiated.

The row began when Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu first raised concerns about the quality of the ‘prasad’, alleging that animal fat was used during the tenure of the previous YSRCP government led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Mr Naidu accused the YSRCP regime of purchasing substandard ghee at cheaper rates, which compromised the sacredness of the Tirupati laddoos.

In response, former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy dismissed these allegations as “diversion politics” and a “concocted story” aimed at shifting focus from the current government’s failures.

The issue intensified after lab reports, commissioned by the TDP, backed Mr Naidu’s claims. According to these reports, the ghee samples tested showed traces of animal fats, including beef tallow, lard, and fish oil. The temple management confirmed that four separate tests revealed similar results, prompting immediate action to halt supplies from the blacklisted contractor.

Mr Naidu, in a public address, announced that new suppliers of pure cow ghee, including the Nandini brand from Karnataka, have been engaged to restore the sacredness of the laddoos. The former chief priest of the Tirupati temple, Ramana Deekshitulu, also expressed concerns over the issue, stating that he had previously raised the matter with the TTD management to no avail.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi have both called for investigations and have sought reports from the Andhra Pradesh government. The TTD has assured devotees that the purity of the laddoos has now been restored, and steps have been taken to ensure that only the highest quality ingredients are used going forward.

Washington:

A replica of Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir would be on display during the India Day parade in New York on August 18, which attracts thousands of Indian Americans from in and around New York.

The replica of the temple would be 18 feet long, nine feet wide and eight feet in height, according to Amitabh Mittal, general secretary of Vishva Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA). This would be the first time that a replica of the Ram Mandir would be on display in the United States.

The annual India Day Parade in New York is the largest celebration of India’s Independence Day outside India. More than 150,000 people normally watch the annual parade which runs from East 38th Street to East 27th Street in Midtown New York.

Organised by Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), the parade will see scores of floats representing various Indian American communities and a diversity of culture running through the streets of New York.

The VHPA-A recently organised a Ram Mandir Rath Yatra that visited 851 temples in 48 States over 60 days.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Six months after the grand opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the first round of showers has caused heavy waterlogging in the temple town raising questions over its swift and massive infrastructure overhaul.

The newly built Ram Path road in Ayodhya – which leads to the Ram Temple – has suffered several cave-ins since seasonal rain hit the temple town.

After potholes came up on the 14-km stretch, authorities said they immediately got the road repaired to avoid any inconvenience for the devotees. The Yogi Adityanath government has suspended six civic officials over “gross negligence,” officials said.

Ayodhya mayor Girish Pati Tripathi said that efforts to flush out the rainwater were launched soon after the waterlogging was reported.

Leakage was also reported at the temple after heavy rain at midnight last Saturday. The Chief Priest of the Ram Temple, had on Monday claimed that rainwater that was leaking from the roof of the temple was collecting inside the complex. He also claimed that there was no arrangement to flush out the rainwater from the temple premises.

Rejecting the leakage claims, Champat Rai, General Secretary of the Temple Trust, however, said “not a single drop of water” dripped from the roof, nor had water entered the Sanctum Sanctorum or ‘Garbha Griha’.from anywhere. He also said that “excellent arrangements” have been made at the temple to drain rainwater.

Mr Rai said that while it appeared that water was leaking from the roof, it was in fact coming from a conduit pipe due to ongoing construction work on the first floor of the temple.

Nripendra Misra, chairman of the Ram Temple Construction Committee, had earlier said that the alleged water leakage at the Ram Mandir was “expected because the Guru Mandap is exposed to the sky” as the construction work was still on, but the water never entered the ‘Garbha Griha’.

“I am in Ayodhya. I saw the rainwater falling from the first floor. This is expected because Guru Mandap is exposed to the sky as the second floor and completion of Shikhar will cover this opening. There is no drainage in the Sanctum Santorum because all the Mandaps have measured slope for clearance of water and the water in Sanctum Santorum is manually absorbed,” Mr Mishra had told ANI on Monday.

The opposition leaders, however, were quick to pounce on the BJP, alleging that there was large scale corruption in the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. ”Even the places of worship are sources of loot for the BJP,” UP Congress President Ajay Rai said.

The Ram Temple in Ayodhya was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22. Considered the birthplace of Lord Ram, Ayodhya’s Ram Temple is one of the holiest sites in Hindusim.

Ayodhya:

Water was leaking from the roof of the sanctum sanctorum at the Ram temple after the first heavy showers since it was opened to the public, its chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das said on Monday.

Alleging negligence in the construction of the temple, Acharya Das claimed that there was also no arrangement for the drainage of rainwater from the temple premises after the showers on Saturday midnight and urged the temple authorities to take necessary corrective measures.

After the senior officials were informed about the incident of water leaking from the roof, the chairman of the temple construction committee, Nripendra Mishra, reached the temple and gave instructions to repair the roof and make them waterproof, temple trust sources said.

Speaking separately to reporters about the progress of temple construction, Mr Mishra said that work on the first floor was on and will be finished by July this year, and expressed the hope that the construction of the temple will be completed by December.

Acharya Satyendra Das told reporters there was heavy leakage from the roof of the temple’s sanctum sanctorum in the first heavy showers that occurred at midnight on Saturday. Rainwater was leaking from the roof directly above the place where the priest sits in front of Ram Lalla’s idol and where people come for VIP darshan, he said.

“It is very surprising that engineers from all over the country are building the Ram temple. The temple was inaugurated on January 22. But, no one knew that if it rains, the roof will leak. It is surprising that the roof of a world-famous temple is leaking. Why did this happen?” “Such an incident is happening in the presence of such big engineers, which is very wrong,” he said.

Meanwhile, rains on Saturday night caused severe waterlogging on the Rampath road and its adjoining laneshere. While sewer water entered houses in the area, the Rampath road and other newly constructed roads in Ayodhya caved in at some places.

There was waterlogging from Jalwanpura to Hanumangarhi Bhaktipath and from Tedhi Bazaar to the inner areas, locals said.

Reacting to the sewer water entering houses in the lanes of Rampath during the rain, Ayodhya Mayor Girish Pati Tripathi said, “I have started damage control since morning. I have deployed several teams of the municipality to remove water from the houses.” However, attempts to seek the response of top officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) did not fructify.

Meanwhile, the Congress accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of indulging in corruption in the temple construction and building of civic facilities in the temple town.

“Be it the coffin of the martyrs or the temple of God, all these have become opportunities for corruption for the BJP. Even the symbols of faith and purity in the country are just opportunities of loot for them,” Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai alleged in a statement on Monday.

“It has become clear from the statement of chief priest Satyendra Das that water is leaking in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram temple built at a cost of crores due to the first rain and there is no proper drainage system,” he said.

Rai said, “Not only this, the mask of the BJP, which was beating the drum of development of Ayodhya, has come off with the road collapsing at many places on the Rampath built at a cost of Rs 624 crore.” He alleged that the BJP has made Ayodhya a “hub of corruption by getting second-rate construction done in a hurry only to gain electoral benefits”.

“The BJP has only done injustice to the people there by not giving them proper compensation,” he alleged.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)