At the temple of Venkateswara, even a shawl is supposed to be an offering of pure devotion. For almost ten years, that trust has been betrayed. An internal vigilance probe at TTD has uncovered that dupattas meant to be pure mulberry silk for VIP darshan and ceremonies were, in fact, cheap polyester, supplied by one vendor since 2015 and passed off as sacred gifts of honour. A shawl sold to TTD for over Rs 1,300 was reportedly available outside for nearly a third of that price. This is not a small error. This is calculated deceit inside one of Hindu Dharma’s holiest spaces.
The alleged scam, worth nearly Rs 55 crore, has forced TTD to send samples to certified labs, which confirmed the fabric was not silk and did not even meet basic specifications of design, weight, and hologram standards. TTD has now called in anti-corruption agencies to investigate everyone involved in the chain. Meanwhile, political blame games have begun, with previous regimes denying responsibility and calling it an exaggeration.
But for devotees, this is not about politics. It is about faith.
If third-grade polyester can enter where only sacred silk should go, it means vigilance slept while greed walked in. Temples need transparency, not tokenism.
