'Court lamp' of Kerala's famed Guruvayur Temple courts controversy

An over a century old practice of the famed Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple of Kerala is caught up in a row with the Kerala High Court objecting to the involvement of judicial officers and usage of the term 'court'.

'Kodathi Vilakku' ('Kodathi' meaning court and 'Vilakku' meaning lamp), a practice of lamps being lit around the temple and cultural programmes being held on one day as part of the Ekadashi festival of the temple, has invited High Court's strictures.

Since those associated with the Chavakkad Munsiff court, close to the temple, are organising the event it earned the title court lamp. Similarly a day's event is organised by the police is known as 'Police Vilakku' and a day's event organised by banking institutions is known as 'Bank Vilakku'

But the restriction has now come only on court-lamp with Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar instructing that since judiciary is a secular democratic institution judicial officers should keep off from such events of a particular religion and using the term 'Kodathi' (court) in a religious event was also unacceptable.

The organisers are now trying to find a replacement for the term 'Kodathi' for this year's event, which is on November 6.

Sources associated with the event said that 'Kodathi Vilakku' practice began around 170 years back and it was even believed that a non-Hindu person, Cheriya Mammu Keyi, was the munsiff while the practice began. A committee for it took shape around 40 years and people cutting across religions and faiths used to contribute for the event. Hence it was indeed a secular one and for that reason the HC intervention was quite surprising for many.

Guruvayur Devaswom chairman V K Vijayan said that said that the temple was not directly involved in the event as hence nothing to do with the name or participation of judicial officers. In view of the HC directive the organisers would be taking necessary corrective measures.