Guruvayoor purification ritual not befitting civilised Kerala: Swami Sachidananda

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 30 (PTI) Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust president Swami Sachidananda on Friday said that the purification ritual held at the famed Sri Krishna Temple in Guruvayoor following a video shoot by a social media influencer at the sacred pond there did not befit a civilised Kerala.

Swami Sachidananda, in a statement, urged the priests of the Guruvayoor temple in Thrissur district to have a bigger heart and a broad mind.

"Portraying the act of the social media influencer, who belonged to a different religion, as a huge crime and performing a week-long purification ritual in the temple was not befitting a civilised Kerala," he said.

He pointed out that 'Bhagwan Guruvayurappan', who has given salvation to many underprivileged people, would not approve of the attitude that a person of a different religion should not touch the temple pond.

In a Facebook post, the Guruvayoor Devaswom had said that the purification ritual was held as a "non-Hindu woman entered the sacred pond for filming", which was seen as a breach of "religious norms".

The ritual was carried out after the influencer posted a reel showing her washing her feet in the sacred pond. Following public outrage, she reportedly deleted the post and issued an apology.

Swami Sachidananda further said that hundreds of non-Hindus visit the Guruvayoor temple, irrespective of their religious beliefs, and return home without the knowledge of the temple administrators.

"This does not diminish the divinity of the temple, it rather increases it," he said.

He also said that back in the past, there was a superstitious belief that if people from backward classes entered temples, the divinity of the shrines would diminish.

When the "evil practice" was removed through the temple entry proclamation, it only led to growth of Hinduism and Hindu worship, Swami Sachidananda said in his statement.

"Similarly, the teachers of Hinduism, the Devaswom Board and the government should consider allowing non-Hindus to enter the temples of the Board," he added. PTI HMP HMP ROH