BENGALURU: The Karnataka government has decided to test prasada given in temples under the endowments department, according to Endowment Minister Ramalinga Reddy. This is in the wake of the controversy over the presence of animal fat in the prasada given to devotees at Tirupati temple. The state government has issued a circular directing the temples to use only KMF’s Nandini ghee to prepare prasada, especially laddus.
Karnataka has over 34,000 temples under the department. Of them, 205 have been classified as Class-A with an annual revenue of over Rs 25 lakh, 193 as Class-B with a revenue between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 25 lakh and the rest as Class-C with a revenue of less than Rs 5 lakh. Most of these temples give prasada to devotees.
Reddy told TNIE that temples in the state offer safe and hygienic prasada and food to their devotees. “But people should not have any doubt. So we have issued a circular to conduct a test,” he said.
Meanwhile, the office of the Commissioner for Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments issued the circular to temples to use only KMF’s Nandini ghee to prepare prasada and other food items.
‘Use Nandini ghee in temples’
The temples have also been directed to use only Nandini ghee to light lamps. Earlier, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Pralhad Joshi urged the Congress government to test prasada given in temples.
Karnataka has been supplying Nandini ghee to Tirupati temple to make laddu prasada. Last year, Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam stopped procuring KMF’s Nandini ghee and other products over price issues. KMF president Bhima Nayak had stated that TTD did not approve the prices quoted by KMF and started procuring ghee from other companies.
However, TTD started procuring KMF’s Nandini ghee and other products a few days ago.