Thiruvananthapuram: In what could have some bearing on singer Yesudas’ entry to Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple, erstwhile Travancore royal family member and author Aswathi Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi remarked that Hindu temples should not be thrown open to people from all communities.
“Temples are not universities or cultural centres. They are primarily centres of worship,” Ms Gowri Lakshmi said while inaugurating the annual conference of the district unit of Akhila Kerala Thantri Mandalam here on Saturday. Though the Supreme Court had handed over the temple administration to an executive committee, the erstwhile royal family still have considerable clout in Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple affairs.
Yesudas, a Roman Catholic, had reportedly submitted a signed declaration to the executive officer early in September saying that he believed in the Hindu faith, a legal prerequisite for a non-Hindu to enter Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple. On September 18, Yesudas was accorded official sanction to enter the temple. Though the singer’s request did not mention a specific date for the visit, the messenger had orally conveyed that Yesudas preferred Vijayadashami day on September 30. However, contrary to expectations, Yesudas did not visit the temple.
In keeping with her conservative stand, the former royal also said that temples that had adopted the hereditary tradition of appointing priests should be insulated from progressive changes like non-Brahmin pujas. “To change the tradition of Karayma and Oorayma temples (shrines where priests are chosen from a particular family as a traditional right) will be a challenge to time-worn traditions,” Ms Gowri Lakshmi said.
