Temple body regrets 'purification'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The managing committee of the Guruvayur temple Devaswom Board on Wednesday expressed regret for conducting a purification ritual at the shrine last month after the Annaprasham ceremony of Uni-on minister Vayalar Ravi’s grandson.
Priests performed the ritual after the minister’s son, Ravi Krishna and his family visited the temple, because his mother, Vayalar’s wife, is a Christian by birth.
After a two-day meeting of the board’s managing committee, its chairman Thottathil Raveendran told mediapersons that the decision would be conveyed to Ravi Krishna, soon. The meeting was called after Ravi Krishna filed a complaint with the temple authorities over the purification ritual.
In a move that could trigger another debate, the managing committee also decided to ask the ruling Left Democratic Front government in Kerala to amend the Devaswom Act and curtail the powers of the tantri (head priest).
Raveendran said it was necessary to ensure that no one — not even the head priest — enjoyed absolute powers
in temple matters in order to avoid such controversies in the future.
Reacting to the decision of the managing committee of the Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple, Ravi Krishna said what was important was that there should be an assurance that this sort of a thing would not happen again to any other person.