What Is The 'Fake Silk' Dupatta Row And Why It Has Sparked Devotee Outrage In Tirupati

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Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is battling a new crisis, less than a year after the laddu-ghee adulteration scandal. This time, the allegation is that the temple had been supplied fake silk dupattas by its chief supplier for a full decade. This, despite Tirupati tenders mandating pure mulberry silk. It is being alleged that the supplier - VRS Export of Nagari - made millions in the process.The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has now stepped in, and has been directed by the TTD to identify those responsible.

What Are The Silk Dupattas Of Tirupati And Why They Matter

TTD offers silk dupattas to donors and to VIP visitors during the Vedasirvachanam in the Ranganayakula Mandapam. These silk dupattas must be made of pure mulberry silk with 20/22 denier yarn. They must be printed with "Om Namo Venkatesaya" in Sanskrit and Telugu, carry Sanku, Chakra and Namam symbols and marked with a mandatory silk hologram. They must be of specified size, weight and border design.

The Trust spends several crores annually just on procuring these dupattas as lakhs of devotees go through this ritual process.

How The Issue Surfaced

TTD Chairman BR Naidu asked the temple's vigilance and security wing to check the quality of the dupattas supplied by VRS. Samples were picked from fresh stocks at the Tirupati warehouse and from approved material at Vaibhavotsava Mandapam in Tirumala. All of these were then sent to Central Silk Board laboratories in Bengaluru and Dharmavaram.Both labs returned the same finding - the dupattas were polyester.Vigilance teams also noted that none of the samples had the required silk hologram.

The Scam, In Numbers & Why Devotees Are Angry

Between 2015 and 2025, VRS Export and its sister firms provided material worth Rs 54.95 crore to TTD. Along with these, the vendor had secured a fresh contract for 15,000 dupattas at Rs 1,389 per piece.The silk dupattas given at the shrine are considered sacred, much like the temple's famed laddus.For many, polyester being passed off as silk is not just financial wrongdoing, but a direct assault on religious sentiment. This, coming so soon after last year's revelations that animal fat was used in making ghee for the temple laddus, has only deepened devotees' anger.