BHUBANESWAR: In response to recent allegations about the use of pig and beef fat in Tirupati laddu in Andhra Pradesh, the Puri Sri Jagganath mandir Administration (SJTA) has decided that only ghee produced by the Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (OMFED) will be used for the preparation of Mahaprasad and lighting lamps.
No ghee other than OMFED’s will be allowed in the temple. A depot should be established to supply sufficient quantities of OMFED ghee to the Puri Sri Jagganath mandir. Dr. Arvind Padhi, Chief Administrator of the SJTA, has formally requested OMFED to provide this support. In a statement to the media, he noted that a letter has been sent to the Managing Director of OMFED regarding this matter.
“It has been decided that only OMFED ghee will be used for the preparation of Mahaprasad and lighting lamps inside the temple. This decision has been discussed and agreed upon with the relevant Niyogs of the Temple. Therefore, in light of the temple’s requirements, steps should be taken to ensure sufficient ghee is provided. OMFED should establish a depot to meet these needs, which will help prevent adulteration,” the Chief Administrator stated in his letter.
Padhi also urged OMFED to consider reducing the price of ghee, following requests from various servitor groups.
He emphasized that strict action will be taken against anyone attempting to violate this rule. The Chief Administrator has instructed the temple management, including the senior supervisor and commander, to implement measures ensuring that only OMFED ghee enters the temple.
It is important to note that concerns about the quality of ghee used for lighting diyas in the temple have been raised intermittently. This issue first emerged a few years ago, prompting the Srimandir administration to issue guidelines stating that lamps should only be lit with ghee produced by OMFED. This directive followed accusations against diya shops within the temple for selling diyas made with adulterated ghee. In response, a special OMFED shop was established inside the temple. Initially, some shopkeepers faced fines for non-compliance with these guidelines, and quality checks were conducted regularly for a period. However, this oversight was eventually discontinued, leading to renewed accusations against several shopkeepers for using low-quality ghee in their diyas. This recent decision has been well received by the devotees of Bhagwan Jagannath.
