Tirumala laddu row: Push for kitchen purification rituals, yagna at temple

TIRUPATI: Agama advisors and priests have unanimously suggested that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which supervises the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala, should perform certain purificatory rituals at the temple kitchen and also conduct a homam or a yagam seeking the Almighty's pardon over the alleged adulteration of cow ghee with animal fat.
The TTD called a meeting of Agama advisors and priests on Saturday to seek their advice on the purificatory measures to be undertaken at Tirumala temple in view of the cow ghee adulteration report.Tirumala temple chief priest A Venugopala Deekshitulu and four Agama advisors met at the TTD administrative building in Tirupati and discussed various purificatory provisions laid down in the Agama doctrines.
Sources said TTD Pedda Jeeyar Swamy held consultations with Agama scholars and pontiffs of various mutts across the country and after getting clarifications from them on various provisions in the Shastrama and Samhitas, a consensus was reportedly arrived at to conduct a one-day Mahasanthi and Vaastu homams at Tirumala.
Sources told STOI that TTD was advised to conduct 'Mahashanti' and 'Vaastu' homams along with recitation of 'Nalayira Divya Prabhandam' and 'Veda Parayanam', besides taking up purification rituals at the temple kitchen (Potu).
The chief priest and the Agama advisors are learnt to have opined that its three-day annual ‘Pavitrotsavams’ festival, which was recently held at the Tirumala temple, was in itself a purificatory ritual to seek the Almighty’s pardon for any omissions and commissions that may have happened either wilfully or due to ignorance. There is, therefore, no necessity for a separate purificatory ritual in the temple once again, they felt. Incidentally, the Pavitrotsavams were held after the adulteration of ghee with animal fats episode unfolded.
It may be recalled that CM Naidu also informed reporters during his interaction with them on Friday that state govt and TTD will hold consultations with priests, Agama scholars, pontiffs of various mutts to arrive at a consensus on the purificatory rituals to be performed. The temple’s former chief priest and Agama advisor AV Ramana Deekshitulu also asked the TTD and state govt to hold consultations with Agama scholars to decide about it.