Amid the ongoing Tirupati Laddu row, Harsh Goenka, the Chairman of RPG Enterprises, shared an old National Geographic video on how the prasadam in the is made at the revered shrine.
Sharing the video, Goenka in a post on X said, “Discover how the #TirupathiLaddu is made…”
The National Geographic video shares each laddu is hand-rolled into spheres and is prepared using “gram flour, sugar and ghee”. “It is infused with spices like cardamom, dry fruits like cashews and raisins,” the video added.
In the video, National Geographic highlighted the laddu is an integral part of the Naivedyam, or the daily meal offered to the Lord himself.
"There was a time when the laddus were prepared inside the sanctum's "Potu" or the kitchen," they added.
However, the video highlighted, a new mechanical kitchen has now been set-up inside the main sanctum for the preparatory work.
At the time of the video, around 300,000 laddus a day were prepared for the temples.
The laddus, once prepared, go through a quality check in testing labs of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
Social media users commented on Goenka's post, and questioned the alleged adulteration.
“With so many stringent checks how did the adulteration happened,” the user asked.
“How can we still defend it to be sacred & super hygienic with such half covered men with no head cover or apron handling the preparation? The recipe too has to undergo a change like lesser sugar, removing of misri crystals & made in smaller sizes in line with health of pilgrims,” another added.
“The process of making laddoos is meticulous. the adulteration comes from the manufacturers of ingredients. And it's happening with every food we eat today. Something should be done about this,” a user highlighted.
The row erupted when Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu claimed last week that ghee contaminated with animal fat was used to make Tirupati laddoos under the previous government run by the YSR Congress.
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