Kolkata’s Sreebhumi Durga Puja recreates Tirupati temple; to distribute one lakh ‘pure ghee’ laddus

Recently, the alleged use of animal fat in Tirupati laddus stirred controversy across political lines

Sreebhumi Sporting Club, which organises one of the biggest themed Durga Pujas in Kolkata, has recreated the famous Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam this year and has announced the distribution of one lakh laddus as prasad.

This follows the recent controversy surrounding the alleged use of animal fat in Tirupati laddus.

According to Dibyendu Kishore Goswami, general secretary of Sreebhumi Sporting Club Durga Puja, as many as 15 cooks from the original Tirupati temple are being brought to Kolkata to make the laddus in the authentic style, but with pure ghee.

“The theme of our Durga Puja has always been to recreate an iconic monument or place of worship from India and around the world,” Mr. Goswami told The Hindu. “Tirupati is incredibly well-renowned. Our decision to make Tirupati our theme this year and to recreate its iconic prasad is unrelated to the controversy.”

He further added their Durga Puja is decided many months in advance, and remaking and distributing the prasad of the temple being recreated has been a tradition among Sreebhumi’s organisers. 

“In earlier years, we recreated the Badrinath Temple and Puri’s Jagannath Temple as well. Even then, we made arrangements to make the respective prasad that these temples are known for, and distribute it among devotees,” Mr. Goswami said.

However, he clarified that despite the controversy around the use of animal fat in laddus at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, the laddus at Sreebhumi would be made with pure ghee only. 

“For us, profit margin or reducing costs is not a concern,” Mr Goswani said. “We distribute the prasad among devotees purely out of love, and we consider offerings to Goddess as sacrosanct. So there is no doubt we will use pure ghee for this.”

Sreebhumi Sporting Club in Kolkata’s Lake Town was one of the first Durga Pujas to be inaugurated and opened for visitors this year. On Tuesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the Sreebhumi Sporting Club Durga Puja in the presence of State Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose, one of the key organisers of this Puja. 

Since then, like every year, Sreebhumi witnessed a heavy footfall of enthusiastic pandal-hoppers. “It is impossible to keep count, but on busy evenings, we see over one lakh visitors per hour at Sreebhumi,” Mr. Goswami said.

On Thursday, Mr. Bose announced that Olympics bronze medallist Manu Bhaker is slated to visit Sreebhumi Sporting Club Durga Puja, on Saturday October 5, at 4 p.m.

Published - October 04, 2024 08:04 pm IST