State Mandates Use Of 'Vijaya' Ghee For Temple Prasadams

State endowments department has released an important decision related to the ghee used in the preparation of laddus and other prasadams. From today, all temples have been asked to use only government-owned Vijaya Dairy ghee for preparing those items. Existing contracts with other suppliers will be cancelled. This directive affects all temples in the state. Even Yadagirigutta has been stated that it will begin using Vijaya ghee in laddus and prasadams starting January 1.

Controversies Over Ghee Supply Contracts

The decision comes after controversies over ghee tenders at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam. While the endowments department issued orders on August 22 to use exclusively Vijaya ghee, several temples continued sourcing ghee from existing contractors. At the Sri Seetha Ramachandraswamy temple, for example, a new contract was signed with a private dairy.

Relatedly, an issue grabbed the attention of people due to a report published in Eenadu on December 16 under the title Ghee in Bhadrachalam is for Private Use. The department took cognisance of it by putting a memo to the EO of the Bhadrachalam temple. She also ordered Commissioner Sridhar to meet with EOs of temples and insist upon implementing the directive from the government. Recently, the commissioner addressed the online meeting on this issue and again announced that Vijaya ghee will be used in every state temple.

Termination of Existing Agreements Due to Early Date

Lots of temples have contracts related to ghee suppliers dated till March 2025. However, the current government has decided to cut those agreements three months forward due to the new government directive.

Implementation in Yadagirigutta

The temple at Yadagirigutta, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy, is planning to switch to Vijaya Dairy ghee from January 1. Presently, another dairy that collects a substantial amount of milk in the joint Nalgonda district has been supplying ghee to the temple under a contract that was valid until March. It is said that there was pressure to continue with the existing agreement.

Despite the Principal Secretary's clear instructions to exclusively use Vijaya ghee, some state-level officials have proposed a compromise, suggesting a 50-50 split between Vijaya and the existing supplier. This deviation from the directive has sparked discussions within the department.