Kochi: The Kerala high Court has issued notices to the state, Guruvayur Devaswom (GD) and Guruvayur municipality on a plea challenging the decision of the temple authorities to stop the usage of plantain leaf and replace it with steel plates for the traditional 'Prasadam Oottu.' Petitioner Rajesh A. Nair of Thrissur challenged the decision taken on July 1, 2017 to replace the traditional usage of plantain leaf with steel plates. The reason cited was that the Guruvayur municipality had decided to cease its service regarding the transport and disposal of waste from the Prasadam Oottu.
This has offended the sentiments of thousands of devotees. The plate system compromises cleanliness and hygiene. Thousands of plates are cleaned by dipping them in water and it is impossible to keep purity and cleanliness expected in a serene temple atmosphere, the petitioner argued. He sought to restore the plantain leaf system and urged that if the municipality was not willing, the court may direct the devaswom board to take appropriate steps to restore the age-old tradition.
