eeking to put a lid on the purification row, the managing committee of the Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple on Wednesday expressed deep regret for conducting a purification rite after Union Minister Vayalar Ravi's son Ravikrishna visited the temple last month.
The committee also decided to recommend to the government to amend the Guruvayur Devaswom Act for removal of the clause, which empowered the 'tantri' (traditional high priest) as the supreme authority of religious matters.
Briefing mediapersons on the deliberations of the two-day meeting of the committee, chairman Thottathil Raveendran said Ravikrishna will be informed of its decision.
The punyaham (sprinkling of consecrated water) was conducted on May 19 as Ravikrishna's mother was a Christian and was not supposed to worship at the shrine where non-Hindus are not permitted.
Ravikrishna had last month written to the managing committee recording his strong protest at the conduct of punyaham after his visit to the temple for the first-feeding of his son.
However, refusing to accept the Guruvayur Devaswom managing committee's decision to express regret over the purification issue, the temple tantri (high priest) on Wednesday said he had no regret over his decision to conduct the punyaham ritual following a visit to the temple by Ravikrishna.
"Why should I regret (the act)? As long as the present rules exist, I will go by them. Let the government change the rules. I am not part of the government," tantri Chennas Raman Namboodiripad said.
He said he would exercise his rights so long as the rules remained the same.
Reacting to the decision of the managing committee of the Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple, Ravikrishna said what was important was that there should be an assurance that this sort of thing would not happen again in the case of any person.
Meanwhile, the Kerala government said on Wednesday that it would bring a legislation to enable any believer in Hinduism to offer worship in temples.
Devaswom Minister G Sudhakaran told a seminar on 'Progressive Movement and the Second Guruvayur Satyagraha', organised by DYFI that the present rule stated that any person who by birth is a Hindu can enter temples.
A necessary amendment would be brought forward to enable a believer in Hinduism enter temples, Sudhakaran said.
"Tantris (chief priests of temples) have no right to determine who is a believer," Sudhakaran added.
Image: Guruvayur tantri Chennas Raman Namboodiripad (top) and Guruvayur temple (below).
Photographs: Prem Panicker
Also See:
Guruvayur temple regrets purification ritual
'I don't make the rules at Guruvayur'
Controversy in God's Abode
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