After laddu row, another jolt: What is the silk dupatta ‘scam’ rocking the Tirumala temple?

TIRUPATI: A fresh controversy has hit the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the body managing the Tirumala shrine, barely a year after the laddu-ghee adulteration row rocked the hill shrine.

Instead of pure mulberry silk, VRS Export of Andhra Pradesh’s Nagari allegedly sold 100% polyester dupattas to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) from 2015 to 2025 — and allegedly pocketed crores.


The board has referred the “dupatta scam” to the state anti-corruption bureau, asking it to identify those behind the alleged fraud. A copy of the TTD board resolution is with TOI.

What the dupattas are used for

TTD presents silk dupattas to donors and VIP-break-darshan visitors during Vedasirvachanam in the Ranganayakula Mandapam. Since thousands of devotees pass through the slot, the trust purchases dupattas in very large quantities, spending several crores every year.

What the tender mandates

The specifications are rigid:

• Pure mulberry silk, 20/22 denier yarn
• Minimum resultant count: 31.5 denier
• 'Om Namo Venkatesaya’ printed in Sanskrit and Telugu
• Sanku, Chakra and Namam symbols
• Defined size, weight and border design
• Mandatory silk hologram

How the scam came to light
TTD chairman BR Naidu ordered the vigilance and security wing to verify whether the supplied dupattas met tender norms. Samples were drawn from:

• Fresh stocks at a Tirupati warehouse
• Approved stocks at Vaibhavotsava Mandapam, Tirumala

These samples — all supplied by VRS Export of Nagari, a long-time TTD vendor — were sent to the Central Silk Board labs in Bengaluru and Dharmavaram.

What the tests found

• Both CSB labs returned the same verdict: The dupattas were polyester, not silk.
• Vigilance officers also found no silk hologram on any of the samples.

Scale of the alleged fraud

• The same firm had also won a contract for 15,000 more dupattas at Rs 1,389 per piece.
• VRS Export and its sister companies supplied fabric worth Rs 54.95 crore to TTD from 2015–2025.
• The board has asked the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to probe the alleged fraud and fix responsibility.

Why this hits devotees hard

Silk dupattas presented at the shrine carry spiritual and symbolic value, much like the temple’s laddus. Polyester masquerading as silk is seen as both financial fraud and a breach of devotional sentiment — especially after last year’s laddu-ghee adulteration revelations involving animal fats.