Tirupati Dupatta Scam: When it was discovered that Temple’s silk dupattas were made entirely of polyester, TTD reported fraud worth crores

Tirupati Dupatta Scam: Another significant scandal has surfaced after the laddu fraud at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) temple in Andhra Pradesh. The temple trust now claims that the holy silk scarves that were given to benefactors and pilgrims from 2015 to 2025 were really manufactured completely of polyester.

The disclosure contributes to an increasing number of disputes pertaining to the Tirumala shrine. The trust has accused a company that supplies silk dupattas of robbing it of crores over the last ten years, in addition to the laddu problem and the Parakamani theft case.

Crores of Fraud

Every dupatta had to have a silk hologram and be made of pure mulberry silk, according to the regulations, but the supplier cheated by using less expensive polyester. According to The Times of India, the company supplied the TTD with 100% polyester dupattas between 2015 and 2025 in place of genuine mulberry silk.

The Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has been notified of the issue by the board, which is led by TTD Chairman BR Naidu. In order to examine the dupattas, samples were collected from the storage and temple grounds. The Central Silk Board laboratories in Bengaluru and Dharmavaram were then used for testing. According to both sources, every dupatta was made of polyester.

The suspension of 15,000 new Dupatta contracts

The Times of India reports that a fresh contract for 15,000 more dupattas was recently given to VRS Exports of Nagari, a dupatta provider. That contract has now been suspended as well. To find the perpetrators of the suspected fraud, the board has turned the inquiry up to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Silk scarves are given to TTD donors and other devotees at the Vedasirvachanam at the Ranganayakula Mandapam during VIP darshan within the Tirumala temple.

What Does a Dupatta Normally Meet?

Temple regulations stipulate that dupattas must be made completely of pure mulberry silk with a minimum thickness of 31.5 denier and 20/22 denier thread in both the warp and weft. Along with the Shanku, Chakra, and Namam symbols, every object must contain the inscription “Om Namo Venkatesaya” in Sanskrit on one side and “Om Namo Venkatesaya” in Telugu on the other.