Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA T Raja Singh on Friday appealed to Ayyappa devotees visiting the Sabarimala temple in Kerala not to visit any mosque during their pilgrimage. Singh told reporters that the devotees One must strictly follow the rules of ‘Ayyappa Deeksha’ and if they go to the Mosque (Vavar) they will become impure.
Singh, MLA from Goshamahal, said that it is a conspiracy that devotees are forced to go to the mosque. Also requested to provide 10 acres of land for setting up a shelter for.
There is an uproar in Kerala regarding the customs and rituals of temples. State CM Pinarayi Vijayan had recently advocated ending the custom of men taking off their clothes in temples. Kerala unit secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Kerala unit MV Govindan has criticized the age-old customs and rituals in temples. The statement of G Sukumaran Nair, general secretary of Nair Service Society, that the rituals should be preserved has been condemned.
Govindan said at CPI(M)’s Kottayam district conference on January 4, 2025, ‘‘He (Sukumaran Nair) should remember that NSS founder Mannathu Padmanabhan was a great social reformer by fighting against obsolete customs. Had emerged.’’
He said that the NSS founder always upheld progressive values and stood for the rights of Dalits while leading the leading community organization. Sukumaran Nair has sharply criticized Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after he supported Sivagiri Math chief Swami Satchidananda’s statement that temples should give up the tradition of not allowing male devotees to wear shirts.
Welcoming the stance of Swami Satchidananda, the Chief Minister had said that such practices can be avoided according to the changing times. Nair had said that the NSS was against changing the age-old customs and rituals and also challenged the Chief Minister to attack the rituals of other religions if he had the courage. p style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, Kerala Yogakshema Sabha president Akkiraman Kalidasan Bhattathiripad welcomed the NSS stance and said the customs and practices in temples should be decided by tantris and others associated with places of worship. style="text-align: justify;">Also read:
