Tirupati laddu row: Centuries-old inscriptions at Tirumala temple record how ghee must be handled for prasadam

The estampage of an inscription taken by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) from the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Even as the sacred Tirumala laddu is shrouded in controversy over the alleged use of adulterated ghee in its preparation, the focus has now shifted to inscriptions at the Lord Venkateswara temple in the town, which refer to measures to be taken while handling ingredients, especially ghee.

The temples in Tirumala and Tirupati have 1,150 inscriptions, of which 700 are etched on the walls of the Tirumala temple alone. The inscriptions, dating back to the 8^th and 18^th centuries, are in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.

One such inscription is found on the northern wall of the first Prakaram (inner precinct) of the temple’s ‘Ananda Nilayam’, the canopy above the sanctum sanctorum. It can be found near the ‘Vimana Venkateswara’ idol even today. The inscription dating back to the seventh regnal year of Rajendra Chola-I in 1019 A.D. refers to donations and endowments made to the shrine.

The inscription says that the king had deputed Kotramangalam Udayan to the Tiruvengada Devar (Tirumala) temple to investigate the conduct of services and donations at the temple after members of the Tirumundiyam Sabha had questioned the priests and officials about the same. The officer, Udayan, ordered the transfer of the funds handled by the sabha to the temple’s exchequer.

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“Thereupon, Adhikar Korramangalamudaiyan ordered that with the 20 pon [gold, a unit of money] being the sum available at Tiruchchukanur [present-day Tiruchanur] and the 3 pon remaining in deposit in this deity’s treasury [as remuneration] for the ‘paricharakam’ service rendered by them to this God, aggregating to 23 pon, the ghee might be well-packed and transported to Tirumala along with the articles of daily provision and the servants working on this behalf might be enabled to burn [the lights] without any impediment,” says the translated version of the inscription.

“This is the first inscription mentioning the formation of a committee to investigate the lapses in the conduct and proper maintenance of worship and food offerings at the temple of Lord Venkateswara,” K. Muniratnam Reddy, Director (Epigraphs) at Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Mysuru, told The Hindu.

Ghee was used in the preparation of the sacred offering (prasadam) as well as burning a perennial lamp in the shrine.

“Systematic packaging of ghee is mentioned way back in 1019 CE, and its proper packing and transportation to Tirumala was ensured,” said Mr. Reddy.

There is a well-defined procedure available in the form of a doctrine ‘Dittam’ that has been followed at the temple from the Pallava era. An officer checks the food items for quality and quantity of measure before they are taken into the sanctum sanctorum for ‘Naivedyam’ (offering to the deity).