TTD laddu issue: Pawan Kalyan participates in ‘suddhi’ at Kanaka Durga temple

Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan took ‘Prayaschitta Diksha’, as penance for the alleged use of ‘animal fat’ in Tirupati Laddu Prasadam.

Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan,who is on the 11-day Prayaschitta diksha, (penance for the alleged use of ‘animal fat’ in Tirupati Laddu prasadam) took part in suddhi, a temple cleansing/purification programme, at Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam here on Tuesday (September 24, 2024).

He cleaned the temple stairway using a broomstick. Later, he applied turmeric and vermilion to the steps and offered prayers, while Vedic scholars recited sacred chants during the ceremony. Following the purification ritual, Mr. Kalyan offered his prayers to Goddess Durga. Several dignitaries, including MPs Kesineni Sivanaath (Chinni), Balashouri, and MLC Hariprasad, were present during the ceremony.

 Mr. Kalyan took  Prayaschitta Diksha’, as penance for the alleged use of ‘animal fat’ in Tirumala laddu prasadam. Mr. Kalyan issued a statement questioning former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy regarding the defiling of religious places. In response to the Tirumala laddu adulteration controversy, Mr. Kalyan raised concerns about the desecration of Hindu religious traditions and sought to know if similar incidents had occurred involving other faiths, such as Christianity or Islam, and if happened, asked whether Mr. Jagan would remain silent.

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“I am deeply hurt on a personal level by the malicious attempts made to infuse impurity in the prasad of Sri Tirupati Balaji Dham, the centre of our culture, faith, belief and devotion, and to tell you the truth, I feel cheated from within. Right now, I am taking a vow to seek forgiveness from the Lord and am taking a vow to fast for eleven days. In the latter part of the eleven-day Atonement Initiation, on October 1 and 2, I will go to Tirupati and have a personal darshan of the Lord and beg for forgiveness and then my Atonement Initiation will be completed in front of the Lord,” Mr. Kalyan stated on social media platform X couple of days ago.

He even insisted that Sanatana Dharma Rakshana Board be set up at the national level. “May be the time has come to constitute a ‘Sanatana Dharma Rakshana Board’ at a national level to look into all the issues related to temples in the entire Bharath,” he said.

Published - September 24, 2024 12:00 pm IST