The Odisha government and Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) have decided to conduct regular quality checks of ‘Mahaprasad’ offered at the Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri. The decision came two days after the government ordered a quality check of the ghee being used to prepare the mahaprasad at the holy pilgrimage.
The development came amid the raging row the alleged use of animal fat in in the prasadam laddoos at famous Tirupati Balaji temple in Andhra Pradesh.
Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Friday said that government and the temple trust have taken the decision to ensure that the quality of mahaprasad, and other ingredients like ghee remain intact.
“Every item will be subjected to a quality inspection before it enters the Roshasala (temple’s kitchen). We will scrutinise not just the ghee but also the quality of all ingredients used in Mahaprasad preparation, including Abadha,” the minister said as quoted by Odisha TV.
Harichandan further informed that food inspectors would be appointed to oversee the quality check works. He also informed that several ex-servicemen have been already appointed and deployed at Ananda bazaar.
“Food inspectors will be appointed so that the allegations which are coming up at other temples are not reported from Puri Jagannath temple. The government is aware and taking appropriate steps. There is no impurity in Lord Jagannath’s Mahaprasad and it will never happen,” he added.
Over the quality check of ghee used to prepare mahaprasad, Puri’s District Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain had earlier said that though there have been no such allegations, the administration would test the quality of ghee being used for the preparation of ‘Kotha Bhoga’ (prasad for the deities) and ‘Baradi Bhoga’ (prasad on order) at the 12th-century shrine.
State-run Odisha Milk Federation (Omfed) is the only supplier of ghee for use in the Puri temple, Swain informed.
Jagannath Swain Mohapatra, a servitor, had claimed that earlier adulterated ghee was found to be used for lighting ‘diyas’ or lamps on the temple premises, news agency PTI had reported.
“That has been stopped. We will request the temple’s chief administrator for a complete test of the ghee used here,” the official had said, maintaining that the faith of devotes was very important.
WHAT’S THE CONTROVERSY?
A massive row has been triggered after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu claimed that animal fat was used in Tirupati laddoos during the previous government when YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was the Chief Minister of the state.
He claimed that the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati and used substandard ingredients and animal fat for making laddoos.
However, Reddy has denied the claims and said that Naidu is spreading lies because he wanted to shift the focus from the ‘his misgovernance in the past 100 days’. “This is all diversionary tactics. The importance of Tirupati is known worldwide… Protecting its sanctity has been the focus in my regime,” he said.
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