Following the controversy surrounding the alleged adulteration of the famous Laddu prasad at Andhra Pradesh's Tirupati Balaji Temple, the effects are now being felt across the country. In response to these concerns, the renowned Mankameshwar Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow has taken a decisive step by banning market-bought offerings (prasad). Mahant Divyagiri issued an official notification requesting that devotees bring only homemade offerings or dry fruits for rituals inside the temple's sanctum sanctorum. As per the notification, devotees are now required to bring homemade offerings or dry fruits for rituals inside the temple's sanctum sanctorum.
New guidelines for devotees
According to the temple authorities, this decision was taken to ensure purity and sanctity in the offerings presented to the deity. "From now on, only prasad made in devotees' homes or dry fruits will be accepted as offerings in the temple. Market-bought sweets and other processed items are no longer permitted for rituals," the notification said.
Focus on purity and devotion
The temple administration emphasised that this step is aimed at enhancing the spiritual experience of the devotees by encouraging them to prepare the prasad with love and devotion. The belief is that homemade prasad reflects a deeper personal connection and sincerity toward the deity, which aligns more closely with traditional practices.
UP FSDA collects samples from Mathura
Amid the controversy, the Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) collected 13 samples of items being sold as 'prasadam' outside the temples in Mathura and sent them for testing, an official said on Sunday. The samples were collected over the past two days from the famous Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple of Mathura, Thakur Banke Bihari temple of Vrindavan and the Daan Ghati temple of Govardhan. FSDA Assistant Commissioner Dhirendra Pratap Singh said the action has been taken in light of the alleged adulteration of Tirupati laddus.
Tirupati Balaji Temple's laddu row
On September 19, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu sparked a controversy by claiming that substandard ingredients, including animal fat, were used in the preparation of Tirupati laddus, a sweet offered at the Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, during the previous Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) government. Responding to this, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) National Spokesperson Vinod Bansal termed it a "grave crime" and an "unforgivable conspiracy" against devotees and their religious sentiments.
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