The food safety and drug administration department on Friday collected samples of 'elaichi daana' or cardamom seeds being distributed as
prasad at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya and sent them for testing, officials said.
The action was taken following a complaint lodged through the Integrated Grievance Redressal System, assistant food commissioner Manik Chand Singh said.
Singh said the samples were procured from Haiderganj, where the cardamom seed offerings are prepared and sent to the Jhansi State Laboratory for comprehensive testing and evaluation.
Prakash Gupta, the officer in charge of the Ram Temple trust, revealed that on average, around 80,000 packets of cardamom seeds are distributed daily as a sacred offering. -- PTI