Rs 300 per person is allegedly collected for special access
Darshan racket is allegedly operating at the Guruvayur temple
Kozikhode: A special darshan racket is allegedly operating at the Guruvayur temple which allows devotees to jump the queue and worship for a price. The racket run by a few devaswom staff with the silent consent of the devaswom administrators collects Rs 300 per person and lets the devotees go inside through the gates used by devaswom employees. The racketeers even have unwritten tieups with major lodges in the area to provide special access to the devotees staying in those lodges and hotels, it is learnt.
Several hundreds of devotees pay the staff to get a speedy darshan and the racketeers allegedly make lakhs of rupees in a month. The devotees are sent in through the side gate near east Nada. At any time, a large number of devotees who have paid money to the staff can be seen near this gate. The administrators can monitor this violation on the closed circuit cameras installed at every nook and cranny of the temple, but surprisingly, no action is being taken.
The main agent of this racket operates from a stationery shop near the temple pond. Devotees from several leading hotels are also directed to meet this agent. The agent wearing a devaswom shawl enquires about the number of people and either collects the money before the darshan or after it. He specifically asks for Rs300 per person. Sources told DC that the total amount collected for this ‘special darshan’ is divided at the end of the day among devaswom employees on duty.
“If we get any specific complaint, we will definitely take action. A handful of people who do wrong can damage the image of the entire devaswom staff. The problem at Guruvayur is that everybody wants to get the darshan immediately. Politicians, press persons and others demand speedy darshan and we mostly allow them through the side gates. But if we get a complaint or proof that someone is making money for that, we will take action,” Mr T. V. Chandramohan, chairman of the Guruvayur Devaswom managing committee, told DC.
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