Govt Run Temples In TN To Get Certification From Food Safety %Standards Authority Of India

Chennai sources added that an official said as many as 47 major temples in Tamilnadu run by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department will get Food Safety and Standards Authority of India certification for their 'prasadam’. Accordingly prasadam, a material substance of food, is a religious offering and is normally consumed by devotees after offering prayers. 

Meanwhile the exercise, aimed at ensuring quality and bringing in standardisation, began with the prasadam of the famous Sri Palani Murugan temple's (Dhandayuthapaniswamy temple) 'Panchamirtham' (a mix of banana, ghee, honey, sugar and dates). The official said "Palani Murugan temple was our pilot project. We have initiated the process of getting FSSAI certification in other 46 temples as well”.

Moreover the official said, "Quality assurance is our priority incidents of people taking ill after consuming prasadam in some private temples drew our attention and we decided to go in for licensing." Earlier in April this year, two women died and over 30 people took ill after consuming prasadam provided by a privately administered temple at Mettupalayam near Coimbatore. Moreover Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple, Rameswaram Sri Ramanathaswamy temple, Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple and Tiruvannamalai Arunachaleswara temple are among the major shrines of Tamilnadu.