A four-hour Shanti Homam Panchagavya Prokshana (ritualistic sanitisation) to undo the alleged desecrations that occurred during the YSRCP regime at Tirumala temple is underway now, temple sources said on Monday.

A Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) source confirmed that the ritual began at 6 am and will lasted till about 10 am, aimed at propitiating Lord Venkateswara Swamy from the alleged sacrilegious practices such as mixing animal fats in making Tirupati laddus (consecrated sweet) and others.

TTD executive officer J Shyamala Rao on Sunday said these rituals will ward off the ill effects and restore the sanctity of laddu prasadams (consecrated food) along with the well-being of Srivari devotees.

Meanwhile Union Health Ministry has issued a show cause notice to the Tamil Nadu-based AR Dairy Food Private Limited, one of the suppliers of ghee to the famous Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh, following allegations of substandard ingredients in the famous laddus.

In response to the controversy, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the famous Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, has already blacklisted the company under the scanner and initiated legal proceedings against it for allegedly supplying adulterated ghee. The company has denied the allegations.

The notice, sent by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), top food standards body under the Union Health Ministry, comes in the wake of a report from NDDB CALF, a private laboratory, which claimed that ghee samples contained foreign fats, including palm oil, fish oil, beef tallow, and ‘lard’ (pig fat).