Pawan Kalyan visits Tirupati temple amid laddu row, ends 11-day penance

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan visited the Tirumala temple with his daughters, marking the end of his 11-day penance.

In Short

• Pawan Kalyan's visit marks end of 11-day penance
• He seeks redemption for past government's 'sins'
• Kalyan's daughter signs faith declaration papers

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan visited the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala on Wednesday to offer prayers amid controversy over the alleged use of adulterated ghee in the making of laddus at the shrine.

The actor-politician reached the hilltop temple on foot, along with his daughters Palina Anjani Konidela and Adya Konidela. Palina signed the mandatory faith declaration papers for non-Hindus, before entering the temple.

The Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief's Tirumala temple visit marked the conclusion of his 11-day penance (Prayaschittha Deeksha), which he had announced, seeking redemption for what he referred to as the sins committed during the tenure of the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government.

A massive row erupted earlier this month after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu claimed that animal fat was used in the preparation of laddus at the Tirupati temple, which usually sees a footfall of over 60,000, under the previous government led by Jagan Mohan Reddy. The government also stated that lab reports confirmed the adulteration.

Asserting that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government, in which Kalyan's Jan Sena is a part, "is committed to taking the most stringent action possible," the leader called for setting up a ‘Sanatana Dharma Rakshana Board’ at the national level to address all issues related to temples in India.