Coronavirus: Sabarimala tantri opposes allowing devotees from June 14

While the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala was scheduled to be reopened for devotees from June 14, Sabarimala tantri (head priest) on Wednesday raised objections on opening the temple amid spike in COVID-19 cases.

Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru, the present tantri, sent a letter the Travancore Devaswom Board that manages the temple urging that the decision to allow devotees from June 14 should be reviewed considering the chances of COVID-19 spread.

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Kerala government has convened a meeting with the tantri and other temple representatives on Thursday to discuss the matter.

The fresh developments have once again put the CPM-led left front government in Kerala in a tight spot over the Sabarimala temple, similar to the women entry issue.

While the BJP, which has been opposing the Kerala government decision to allow public to worship centres from Tuesday, has strongly backed the tantri's demand, Congress leaders alleged that tantri's were playing politics.

Kerala Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran said that the decision to allow devotees to the temples was taken in consultation with those associated with temples. The government has no stubborn stand that temples should be opened soon, but was only considering interests of devotees. But since the Sabarimala tantri has now taken a different stand, it would be discussed at the meeting on Thursday.

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Sabarimala temple is scheduled be opened by June 14 for monthly pooja and would remain open till June 28 for the annual festival that begins on June 19. Devotees will be allowed only through virtual queue for which booking was scheduled to be opened by Wednesday. Devotees from other states would have to produce a medical certificate issued by an ICMR approved lab proving that they were not COVID-19 infected.

Kandararu Mahesh urged in the letter that the festival, that was already postponed once, should be also postponed again.

The BJP had been alleging that the left-front government's decision to allow devotees at temples in a haste manner was aimed at the revenue from the temples.

Meanwhile, though some major temples like Guruvayur Sri Krishna temple allowed pilgrims from Tuesday, the number of pilgrims who turned up was very low.