Polyester Shawls Sold As Silk In Rs 54 Crore Scam In Tirupati Temple

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the trust managing the famed Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh, has been rocked by the revelation of a massive Rs 54 crore silk shawl scam, spanning a decade from 2015 to 2025.

The scandal came to light following an internal vigilance inquiry that found that a contractor consistently supplied 100% polyester shawls while billing them as the pure mulberry silk products specified in the tender documents.

The internal probe, which was initiated after the TTD board under Chairman BR Naidu raised concerns, revealed the extent of the alleged fraud.

The contractor supplied cheaper polyester material instead of the mandatory pure mulberry silk for the shawls, which are presented to major donors and used in temple rituals like the Vedasirvachanam.

The irregularities are estimated to have occurred over a ten-year period, resulting in an estimated loss to the temple trust of over Rs 54 crore.

"A shawl that costs about Rs 350 was being billed at Rs 1,300. The total supplies would amount to more than Rs 50 crore. We have asked for an ACB (Anti-Corruption Bureau) probe," BR Naidu said.

Samples of the shawls were sent for scientific analysis to two laboratories, including one under the Central Silk Board (CSB). Both tests confirmed that the material was polyester, a clear violation of the tender specifications.

Vigilance officers also noted that the mandatory silk hologram, intended to authenticate genuine silk products, was missing from the supplied samples.

A single firm, and its sister concerns, was reportedly responsible for the bulk of the cloth supply to the TTD during this period.

Reacting swiftly to the vigilance report, the TTD Trust Board has cancelled all existing tenders with the firm and has referred the entire matter to the State Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for a comprehensive criminal investigation.

The shawl scam marks the latest in a series of procurement and theft controversies that have plagued the TTD in recent times, following highly publicised issues related to the alleged adulteration of ghee used in the sacred laddu prasadam and the Parakamani (hundi money counting) theft case.

The recurring scandals are placing immense pressure on the management and internal oversight mechanisms of one of the world's richest religious institutions, leading to broader questions about long-term vendor vetting and integrity within the temple's procurement chain.