Rs 54 crore scam at Tirupati temple: Contractor sold polyester shawls as pure mulberry silk

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which oversees the famous Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh, has uncovered a major Rs 54 crore scam involving silk shawls, allegedly running from 2015 to 2025.

The fraud surfaced after a vigilance inquiry found that a contractor had been delivering polyester shawls for years while charging for pure mulberry silk, as required under the tender.

The investigation, launched after TTD Chairman B.R. Naidu raised concerns, detailed how the contractor repeatedly supplied the cheaper polyester fabric in place of the high-quality silk used for temple rituals and gifted to prominent donors.

Irregularities stretching over a decade are believed to have cost the TTD more than ₹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 sent to two labs—including one under the Central Silk Board—confirmed that the fabric was polyester, not pure mulberry silk as required. Vigilance teams also found that the mandatory silk hologram used to verify authenticity was missing from the samples.

Investigators believe a single company, along with its sister concerns, handled most of the cloth supply to TTD during these years.

Following the vigilance report, the TTD Trust Board scrapped all ongoing contracts with the firm and referred the matter to the State Anti-Corruption Bureau for a full criminal investigation.

The shawl scandal is the latest in a string of procurement and theft controversies at TTD, coming after earlier allegations of adulterated ghee in the famous laddu prasadam and the Parakamani (hundi counting) theft case.