Yet another 'Kerala story' of communal harmony, this time from lotus farms of Thirunavaya

Many prominent temples in Kerala use lotus cultivated by the traditional farmers of Thirunavaya, most of whom are from the Muslim community. The story of the lotus from the farms of Thirunavaya is being highlighted by netizens as a reply to Gopalakrishnan as yet another 'Kerala story' of communal harmony.

Thiruvananthapuram: The lotus farms of Thirunavaya on the banks of Bharathapuzha river at Malappuram district are again back in focus in the wake of BJP Kerala leader's 'Hindu MLA' remark  as part of the Assembly election campaign at Guruvayur.

Many prominent temples in Kerala, including the famed Guruvayur Sri Krishna temple in Thrissur, use lotus cultivated by the traditional lotus farmers of Thirunavaya, most of whom are from the Muslim community. 

The lotus from the region were used even for the 'Tulabharam' offering by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Guruvayur temple in 2020.

BJP state vice-president B Gopalakrishnan, who is now seeking mandate from Guruvayur Assembly constituency, asked why there is no Hindu MLA from Guruvayoor yet despite having 48 per cent Hindu population in the constituency. Even after the election commission initiating a case against the BJP leader, he is sticking to his statement.

The story of the lotus from the farms of Thirunavaya is being highlighted by netizens as a reply to Gopalakrishnan as yet another 'Kerala story' of communal harmony.

There are around 50 farmers in Thirunavaya cultivating lotus in hundreds of acres of land. Many of them are second and third generation farmers. Almost all days, lotus from the region are taken to many temples in Guruvayur, Tripunithura in Kochi, Kadampuzha in Malappuram and even to Sabarimala. Lotus from 'Thirunavaya' is also taken to Bengaluru regularly.

Musthafa Chakkallaparambil, a second-generation lotus farmer of Edakkulam village in Thirunavaya, told DH that the soil of the region was quite suitable for lotus cultivation. The lotus grown in the region are more reddish in colour and long shaped than those from other places like Tamil Nadu. It is widely known as 'Thirunavaya Chenthamara' (red lotus).

"My father started lotus cultivation and I inherited it from him about 40 years back. Now my elder son is also into it," says 59 year old Chakkallaparambil.

Many of the lotus farms of the region are developed by converting unused waterbodies in the region. Since it is a Muslim dominated region, most of the farmers happened to be Muslim., he adds.