'It is not as if Hindus are not being touched at all, and only Muslims are.'
The Tirumala crime police have busted a coins scam at the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala and recovered Rs 16,000 worth of coins from a businessman.
The chief minister said after consultation, the government will take its decision with respect to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, the official custodian of world-renowned Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati.
Amid concerns among devotees on the quality of ghee used in the famous Tirupati 'laddu prasadam', the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has said sanctity of the sacred sweetmeat has been restored.
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has said that the laddu adulteration issue is just a tip of the iceberg and there are many more decisions taken during the previous regime that have to be investigated.
'My family members are devotees of Lord Tirumala Venkateswara. I visit the deity before making any major decisions.'
As the controversy continues to reverberate nationwide, various quarters are demanding steps to safeguard the sanctity of Hindu temples and their 'prasadam'.
TDP spokesperson Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy in a press conference claimed that the adulteration has been confirmed by a Gujarat-based livestock laboratory, on the ghee samples provided by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which manages the famous Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple.
The Tirupati Laddu row intensified on Friday with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which is managing the super-rich temple, backing Chief Minister N Chandra Babu Naidu's claim that the famous 'prasadam' had animal fat and Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy dubbing the accusations as 'atrocious'.
Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao on Tuesday said that the state government constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) will temporarily stall its probe into the alleged 'adulteration' of Tirupati laddus with animal fats case as the matter is sub judice in the Supreme Court.
The restrictions would come into force from Friday, Deputy Chief Minister for Medical and Health A K K Srinivas (Nani) said briefing reporters after a high-level meeting on COVID-19, chaired by Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. The daily rituals in all these temples will, however, be performed by the priests. Only the devotees will not be allowed, he said.
Smriti Mandhana visited the Tirupati Balaji Temple in Tirumala on Tuesday alongside her family.
Tirumala, the popular hill shrine in Andhra Pradesh, is embroiled in a gold coin scam following the alleged misappropriation of 300 gold coins, worth over Rs 15 lakh.
The Supreme Court on Friday junked a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged use of animal fat in making Tirupati laddus under the previous Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led regime.
Explaining the preventive steps taken up for the control of AIDS and HIV to media persons in Tirupati on Thursday night, Chandravadan said nearly 400 sex workers were engaged in the flesh trade in the holy hills visited by pilgrims from across the world.
The controversy has sparked reactions across states. The famous Mankameshwar temple in Uttar Pradesh has now banned offerings of 'prasad' bought by devotees from outside and said they can offer homemade 'prasad' or fruits.
Would you spend Rs 2.5 lakhs to make your car look like a helicopter? Ishwar Deen, a sculptor who lives in Ambedkar Nagar's Khajuri Bazar, did.
Naidu claimed that the previous YSRCP government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fat for making laddus.
A row is brewing in Andhra Pradesh over the design of pillars to be used at the popular hill shrine of Tirumala, with Sangh Parivar organizations alleging that they resemble the Holy Cross.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's claim that animal fat was used in Tirupati laddus during the previous government has triggered a massive political row, with the YSRCP accusing Naidu of indulging in "heinous allegations" for political gains and the Telugu Desam Party circulating a lab report to back its claim.
Pilgrims belonging to faiths other than Hinduism will have to submit a declaration form from August 13 before entering the Tirumala shrine near Tirupati stating that they have faith in the presiding deity, Lord Venkateswara
Lord Venkateshwara, the reigning deity of the Tirumala temple in Tirupati has a new and the most expensive gold crown studded with precious diamonds. The crown, made of 32 kilograms of pure gold and 70,000 diamonds, offered by Karnataka's minister for tourism and industrialist, Galli Janardhan Reddy, and his son Keerti Reddy, was put on the idol in the wee hours of Friday.
From Kriti Sanon to Malaika Arora, Namrata Thakker looks at actresses who rocked in the fashion department.
The new facility was inaugurated by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams chairman B Karunankara Reddy.
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday offered worship at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in the wee hours near Tirupati.
The SC asked why was there a need to make a public statement when a probe had already been ordered into the matter.
After worshipping at the Sri Ranganayaka Mandapam, the vice president-elect was honoured with the sacred silk cloth and holy prasadams by the management of the shrine.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the weather situation with senior officials and asked them to incorporate technologies such as drones to assess the deluge and accordingly plan the relief works.
Gautam Gambhir, a member of India's 2011 winning World Cup team, visited the Lord Balaji temple in Tirumala on Thursday, September 28, 2023, morning.
To keep the flames under check, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the supply of Nandini ghee to make Tirupati laddus was suspended one-and-half years ago, during the BJP government's tenure.
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A team of Indian Space Research Organisation scientists on July 13 visited the Tirupati Venkatachalapathy temple ahead of Friday's much anticipated Chandrayaan-3 launch.
The thrilling last-ball win by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL final against Gujarat Titans 'is a miracle' and only the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni could pull off such a show, said former BCCI president Narayanswami Srinivasan.
Even though he is a Buddhist, Percy Mahinda Rajapaksa makes a pilgrimage to Tirupati every year to worship at the famous Hindu shrine.
Of the total expected revenue, the cash offerings made by millions of devotees in the sacred hundi (offering box) at the hill temple complex were expected to fetch about Rs 1,000 crore.
According to the officials of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, one of their sanitary workers was badly injured due to the storm and calamitic conditions in the state.
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More than 3,000 gifts for Lord Ram from Sita's birthplace in Janakpur in Nepal have arrived in Ayodhya.
Reddy directed the officials to treat the storm as a major challenge to avoid loss of life and property as the winds are expected to blow gales reaching speeds of up to 110 kilometres per hour.
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