Tirupati laddu row: Now devotees claim insects in prasad, TTD says claim ‘unconvincing’

There seems to be no end to the controversies over prasadam at Tirumala temple seems. Amid a row over the alleged presence of animal fat in Tirupati laddus, devotees have now claimed that insects were found in the prasad served to them at the temple. 

The incident allegedly took place on Wednesday, at 1:30 pm when lunch was being served at the Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh. A devotee claimed that he found a millipede in his curd rice, India Today reported. 

“This is unacceptable and reflects the negligence of TTD authorities,” said the devotee, adding “We demand strict action against those responsible”.  

Sharing his experience, the devote said, “I travelled from Warangal for darshan. After getting my head shaved, I went for lunch, but during the meal, I discovered a millipede in the curd rice. When I raised the issue with the staff, their response was shockingly casual. They said it happens sometimes.”   

However, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the trust which looks after the temple, dismissed such claims. 

The TTD denied the allegations and termed it as “baseless and false”. It insisted that the prasad was made fresh in the temple daily for thousands of people and an insect would have been detected. 

“TTD prepares hot Anna prasadam for thousands of devotees who come for Srivari Darshan and it is an unconvincing claim that a millipede could fall into the food unnoticed,” an official statement said. 

The trust also claimed that the comments made against the prasad could be an attempt to lead devotees astray of their faith in Lord Venkateswara and were a means to defame the institution.