Puja at Hyderabad Ayyappa Temple for Sabarimala

A nine-member Tantri team from Sabarimala in Kerala, is camping at the Ayyappa Devasthanam in Mettuguda here under the guidance of Neelakantharu Poti, one of the hereditary priest in Sabarimala to make necessary changes in the position of certain deities in the belief that the “Vastu” correction will help ward off evil on the Main temple in Sabarimala.

The Sabarimala temple is in the thick controversy after the Apex court granted entry of women of all ages into the temple known for its strict restriction on women in the menstruation age from entering the temple premises.

“Sarpa Kav” meaning Temple for snake gods without roof is being performed from Friday to Sunday at the temple premises as per the advice of the Sabarimala temple priest Kandararu Rajeevaru and architect Kanipayoor Krishnan Namboodiripad. The ritual includes the shifting of the earlier SarpaKav from the North West side of the temple to the South West, where it should be.

“At the time of construction of the Mettuguda temple surprisingly the plan drew by Krishnan Namboodiripad was not followed. Even the great Neelakatharu Tantri the maternal uncle of Rajeevaru who came for “Pratishtapana” of the Ayyappa idol here has noticed the flaw. However it was in the “Devaprasnam” ritual in 2015 in Sabarimala to know the will of the lord and again in 2018 here has pointed the flaw in the position of the Serpent God,” Vinod Nambiar, the general Secretary of the Mettuguda temple told DH.

Impact on Sabarimala

Unlike other temples, the Ayyappa devotees feel that there is an umbilical chord between all the Ayyappa temples with the one in Sabarimala.

“That is why we feel that the ongoing trouble in Sabarimala and the troubles here are interconnected. A correction here will have at least 60% impact over there on the main temple” Vino said. He says that the Serpent Gods have a positive impact on the health of the people and also the growth of the temple in financial terms.

It was observed by the Mettuguda temple that in recent years residents of the street where the temple was located were facing unknown health problems, including the priest of the temple. “Following the death of two presidents of the Devasthanam we have decided that we will make the necessary changes and by god’s grace could collect Rs 7 lakh to complete the project,” he said.

However, Tantris refused to speak saying that they are forbidden to do so by the head priest in Sabarimala.