Kannada actress Jayamala's reported revelation that she had touched the idol of Lord Ayyappa at the Sabarimala temple when she was 27, has sparked a row.
Women between the age-group of 10-50 are not allowed inside the Sabarimala temple.
If the 'confession' of the 46-year-old actress, as reported by a section of the press, turns out to be true, it would amount to 'defilement' of the shrine, requiring elaborate purificatory rituals, Tranvancore Devaswom Board sources said.
Taking a serious view of the reports, the TDB on Wednesday made it clear that it would inquire into the matter to find out the veracity of the incident.
"We cannot just ignore it. It is unthinkable that such a thing could happen. We have to find out the truth. We will discuss the issue at the Board's meeting on July 7 and decide on the details of the inquiry," G Raman Nair of the Board told PTI.
Jayamala, according to her reported confession, made the trip to the shrine in 1987 with her husband to fulfill a vow. There was heavy rush and she was pushed into the sanctum sanctorum where she touched the idol of Lord Ayyappa with utmost devotion as she did not know that it was a strictly prohibited practice, the report said.
The actress' revelation has come close on the heels of the recent 'deva prasnam' -- an astrological examination of the state of affairs of the temple -- which had reportedly found several 'inauspicious' things in the management of the temple's affairs.