Amrutha Avasarala, Pune
In light of the Tirupati laddu controversy, Odisha’s government is set to take precautions to test the ghee used in the making of prasad at Puri’s Jagannath temple. The controversy is leading to quality checks in various temples across the country.
The notification from the government came on Tuesday, to prevent any similar situation in Odisha as in Andhra Pradesh. The allegations of the presence of animal fat in Tirupati laddu have influenced many states to take steps beforehand and eliminate any predicted challenges and controversies.
Puri’s District Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said that though there is no allegation and speculations on the prasad at Puri Jagannath’s temple, the administration is willing to test the ghee used in the preparation of ‘Kotha Bhoga’ (prasad for the deities) and ‘Baradi Bhoga’ (prasad on order).
State-owned dairy, Odisha Milk Federation (OMFED) is the sole supplier of ghee to the temple.
Jagannath Swain Mohapatra, a servitor, shared that adulterated ghee was earlier used in the lighting of the lamp. This might pose as a sensitive piece of information routing to a controversy, considering the sensitivity of the whole matter in light of tirupati laddu controversy. Mohapatra shared that the practice has been stopped and a request has been sent to the chief administrator for a complete test of the ghee used. He further added that the faith of the devotees is of utmost importance.
Swain said that however, a decision has been taken to examine the standard of ghee being supplied by Omfed to allay any fear of adulteration. He further shared that discussion will be held with omfed and the prasad making body on the same grounds.
The entire issue and the row of controversies in ingredients used in the making of prasad in temples took stream in Tirupati after N. Chandrababu Naidu claimed that substandard ingredients were used during the rule of YSRCP government. This issue not only focussed or concentrated in Tirupati but spread across the nation where in various temples are being questioned and undergoing quality checks. This also was faced by the famous Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai and now, Odisha too is taking steps to make sure no challenge hits Odisha, similar to that in Andhra Pradesh.