‘Puja meant to increase the consciousness in the idol, how can it be stopped for public convenience ?’ : SC
Guruvayur temple management in Kerala decided not to perform ‘Udayasthan Puja’ on 11thDecember
Guruvayur (Kerala) – The administration of the Guruvayur Srikrushna Temple had decided to cancel the ‘Udayasthan Puja’ on Vrischikam Ekadashi (December 11th), citing inconvenience to the public. This decision was challenged in the Supreme Court, which subsequently issued a notice to the temple management. The Court questioned whether a puja could be cancelled on the grounds of ‘inconvenience to the devotees’. Justice Maheshwari remarked, “Puja is meant for the Deity and is performed to elevate the consciousness of the idol. Therefore, it should not be dictated by public convenience. We need to examine the justification for this reasoning.”
1. A bench of Justices J. K. Maheshwari and Rajesh Bindal has instructed the Guruvayur Devasthan Management Committee, Tantri (Chief Priest), and the Kerala Government to submit their responses within four weeks.
2. The Supreme Court has directed that there should be no alterations to the scheduled daily pujas.
3. The petitioners were represented by senior advocate C. S. Vaidyanathan.
4. The temple administration had decided to cancel the Udayasthan puja on Vrishikam Ekadashi, citing difficulties in crowd management and the desire to allow devotees more time for darshan.
5. The petitioners, who are members of the hereditary priestly family of the temple, contested this decision, claiming that the temple management had violated long- established customs and rituals.
6. The petitioners argued in Court that Udayasthan puja has been a long-standing tradition, started by Adi Shankaracharya, and that its omission would undermine the sanctity of the temple and diminish the faith of the devotees.
Editorial PerspectiveGovernment control over temples leads to such decisions; hence the Union Government must attempt to restore autonomy. |