Kerala Devasom Minister Vasavan in the dock as ritual violation row at Aranmula temple escalates

Pathanamthitta (Kerala), Oct 15 The ritual violation controversy at Kerala's Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple on Wednesday has taken a new twist, with the Travancore Devaswom Board seeking an explanation from its own officials even as the Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left government struggles to contain the political fallout.

The row stems from the Ashtami Rohini Vallasadya held on September 14, when the feast was allegedly served to Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan before the ritual offering was made to the deity, a breach of temple tradition.

Tantri Thekkedath Kuzhikkattil Parameswaran Vasudevan Bhattathiri confirmed in a letter that this constituted a violation and directed that those responsible should perform public penance.

Letters were issued to the Board, the Devaswom Commissioner, the Administrative Officer, the Palliyoda Seva Sangham, and the Temple Advisory Committee.

However, the Palliyoda Seva Sangham countered the charge, claiming that the Tantri’s letter was based on misinformation provided by the Board.

They asserted that the Tantri had not witnessed the ceremony directly and that the ritual sequence had been correctly followed.

They also alleged that the Board itself triggered the controversy to shift blame.

The Tantri’s open statement that the violation was flagged by Board officials has put the CPI-M, which had earlier accused the media of misreporting, on the defensive.

Following this revelation, the Board President sought explanations from the Assistant Commissioner and the Administrative Officer.

According to temple tradition, the ceremonial lamp is lit at the flag mast after the noon pooja, and before the feast is offered in the deity’s presence.

On Ashtami Rohini, however, the minister lit the lamp outside the temple before the offering.

This deviation prompted protests from some devotees and subsequently snowballed into a major controversy.

CPI-M’s Pathanamthitta district committee termed the allegations "false propaganda", stressing that misleading devotees in the deity’s name was unacceptable.

But the Temple Advisory Committee maintained that a clear violation occurred and said it would stand by its complaint.

The Tantri has called for public penance by those responsible. With multiple stakeholders now at odds, the issue has turned into an embarrassment for both the Board and the ruling party.

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