Executive Officer J Shyamala Rao in a press conference said lab tests had revealed the presence of animal fat and lard (pig fat) in chosen samples and the board is in the process of blacklisting the contractor who supplied "adulterated" ghee.

A devotee has alleged discovering tobacco wrapped in paper inside a laddu given as prasadam (religious offering)

A priest performs the purification ritual Shanti Homam Panchagavya Prokshana to undo the alleged desecrations that occurred at Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple during YSRCP government, at Tirumala in Tirupati district, Andhra Pradesh. — Photo:PTI

In an effort to restore faith and sanctity, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) performed purification rituals around the temple, including areas where ingredients and ghee are stored. The temple’s chief priests Monday conducted the rituals from 6 am to 10 am.

Amid ongoing controversy over Tirupati prasad, a woman devotee has made a shocking claim that when she broke the laddu given to her as prasadam at the famed Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, she found tobacco wrapped in paper inside.

While the controversy surrounding the presence of animal fat in prasadam (offering) at the Tirupati temple in India's Andhra Pradesh had barely died down, a devotee has now claimed that she found tobacco in the laddoo offered at the temple.

Swami Srinivasananda Saraswati criticized former CM Jagan Mohan Reddy for compromising the sanctity of the Tirumala temple, claiming he prioritized financial gain over devotion. ;