| Published on 02-07-2007 In National | | Viewed 2304 times | | Short-cut to God but not the Marxist way |
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| Written by
Kumar Chellappan | 
Chennas Raman Namboodirippadu, the suave and soft-spoken chief priest (Thanthri) of the famous Lord Krishna Temple at Guruvayoor in Kerala, has been upset because of a series of news items featuring him and the temple hogging the national limelight. Though the Thanthris of major temples command big respect and they seem to enjoy the prominence accorded to them, Raman Namboodirippadu is known for his simplicity. He always shunned the media and spoke only when it was not possible to observe silence on issues concerning the temple in general and Hindu religion in particular.
Along with reports appearing in a section of the media, the secular parties in the state vitiated the atmosphere by abusing the Thanthri and his family members. The Kerala minister for Co-operation and Hindu Religious Act G Sudhakaran, one of the leaders of the Pinarayi faction of the Kerala CPI(M), showered the Chennas family with the choicest of abuses which has antagonised the Hindu community.
The recent controversy follows the purification rituals in the Guruvayoor temple ordered by him after the first rice feed of Rajeev Krishna, the four-month-old grandson of Vayalar Ravi, the Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs and one of the prominent leaders of the faction-ridden Congress in Kerala. The Hindus in Kerala consider it a great privilege to conduct the first feeding of their newborns at the Guruvayoor Lord Krishna Temple. Moreover, most Hindus prefer to get married in its sacred precincts. There were instances of the Guruvayoor Temple recording hundreds of marriages on a single day.
There is no need to elaborate about the historical and cultural importance the temple. Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri, the author of Narayaneeyam and Poonthanam who authored Jnanappana, the wonderful lyrics which will put into shade all other literary works in the world, were associated with this temple. Aanjam Madhavan Nampoothiri, the exponent of Bhagavatha Sapthaham, was yet another devotee of Lord Krishna of Guruvayoor. For those who are not familiar with this temple at Guruvayoor, www.guruvayoordevaswom.org will give more information and the history of the temple.
It is a known fact that only Hindus are permitted inside the temple. Prior to 1936, the authorities did not allow the entry of devotees belonging to backward and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities into the Kerala temples. The revolutionary Temple Entry Proclamation Act of 1936 introduced by Sir C P Ramaswami Iyer, the then Diwan of the Princely state of Travancore and the famous Guruvayoor Satyagraha (1931- 46) made it possible for Hindus of all folds to enter the temple for worship. The Guruvayoor satyagraha was led by K Kelappan, popularly known as the Kerala Gandhi.
Though the temple was opened to all Hindus (of course by birth/ by faith), entry was denied to non-Hindus. But many non-Hindus visit the temple on a daily basis even now. It is impossible to identify the non-Hindus from the thousands who throng the temple daily. I myself have seen one Muslim colleague of mine entering the temple and worshipping there. Guruvayoor is one of the richest temples in the country. The temple premises wear the look of a trade fair with hundreds of show rooms of textile companies, jewellery shops and what not. There are also a number of star hotels in and around this temple township to accommodate the devotees who come from all over the country and abroad. All are doing roaring business.
Guruvayoor Temple used to be in the news on a regular basis in the seventies, eighties and nineties because of K Karunakaran, the wily Kerala politician who made it a point to visit the temple on the first of every Malayalam month. He was a VVIP for the Guruvayoor Administration. The whole temple staff were at the beck and call of Karunakaran and his cronies. Though all are equal before the God, Karunakaran and his clan were more equal than ordinary mortals.
One of the beliefs of the Hindu religion (I should call it a way of life than a religion) is that God is omnipresent and omnipotent. It is not mandatory to visit a temple to worship Lord Krishna or for that matter any other Gods, for which there is no scarcity in Hinduism. I personally find it tough to visit Guruvayoor Temple because of the distance and the queue system. But if you know people in higher places, there is no need for you to stand in the queue to get an appointment with Lord Krishna. Either the Devaswom Administrator or any one of his acolytes will ensure that the devotee gets an elaborate session with the Lord.
Well, this is the backdrop of the Guruvayoor Temple. Now, coming back to the Vayalar Ravi controversy: Ravi, belonging to the Eezhava community is married to Maria Francis (more famous as Mercy Ravi), a Roman Catholic, like our own Italian empress in Delhi.
But Mercy is still a Christian though the Ravis claim that they brought up their kids as Hindus. The Hindus in Kerala, whether they are Brahmins, Nairs, Eezhavas, Thiyas, Parayas, Pulayas, or any other factions, follow the matriarchal system. It is the Christians and Muslims in the state who follow the patriarchal lineage.
Ravi's tryst with the Guruvayoor Temple started way back in 2000 when Ravi Krishna his elder son got married to the daughter of M P Purushothaman, a Chennai-based businessman. Immediately after the marriage, which was solemnized at Guruvayoor Temple, a purification ritual was ordered by the chief priest. The Thanthri had enough reasons for ordering the ritual. "Had Ravi Krishna's mother been a Hindu, we would not have done it. Mercy Ravi is a Christian and the children born to her too are Christians. But had she been converted to Hinduism, this problem would not have been there," said Namboodirippadu, the Thanthri.
It is displayed prominently at the temple entrance that only Hindus (either by birth or by faith) are allowed inside. This is the case with most of the temples in the state and one cannot question the legality of this edict. "Why Mercy Ravi has not converted to Hinduism? Because she does not believe in this religion. The reason is as simple as that," said Hari S Kartha, veteran journalist.
All one has to do is to give an undertaking to the temple authorities that he/she believes in Hinduism. This is the system being practiced all over Kerala. The Padmanabha Swamy Temple at Thiruvananthapuram has an arrangement whereby people from any religion can enter the temple. There is an office near the temple from where one can get a certificate issued at a nominal fee of Rs 50/ - that the devotee has got converted to the Arya Samaj. The Arya Samajis are free to enter any Hindu temple.
If Mercy Ravi is so particular that her children should get a chance to worship at Guruvayoor or Padmanabha Swami temples, all she has to do is to get converted to Arya Samaj at least temporarily. This is the case with singer Yesudas. May be by a strange coincidence, Yesudas sang a song on Guruvayoor Temple and since that day, he has been asking for permission to get into the temple. "He could have entered the temple and worshipped without any fanfare. Who is going to identify him in the crowd," asked one of the hardcore devotees of the Lord. Though Yesudas has sung a song eulogizing the mosque at Mecca, he has not complained even once about his being denied permission to visit the city of Mecca. This is sheer hypocrisy.
While Ravi and his son Krishna point out that the Hindu Personal Law has been amended making it mandatory that the children have the right of inheritance of their paternal property, the fact remains that it is only the material properties which could be covered by the laws enacted by legislature or judiciary. 'Is it possible to amend age-old beliefs and systems by legal amendments? In that case, will the political parties who are abusing the Thanthri and the Namboodiris ask the Muslims to throw open the doors of their Mosques to non-Muslims? Will anybody ask the Christians to allow women priests to hold Mass?" asks Kartha.
June 18 saw the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the CPI (M) holding a demonstration in front of the Guruvayoor Temple demanding the opening up of the temple doors to non-Hindus. Will the CPI (M) throw open the doors of the AKG Centre at least to the members of the Fourth Estate to cover the proceedings of their central committee and the Politburo? Will the youth brigade of the party stage a demonstration in front of the Madras Cricket Club or Ramavarma Club in Ernakulam where rights of admission are reserved?
The CPI (M) is a party of non-believers, especially when it comes to the Hindu religion. Sudhakaran never misses an opportunity to abuse the Hindu gods or the poor temple priests. If you do not believe in a religion or its God, why are the comrades demonstrating against the temple laws? Are they bold enough to ask the Islamic clergy to amend the Muslim Personal Law, which is being accused of discriminating against women?
Meanwhile, both Yesudas and Mercy Ravi are advised to get converted to Arya Samaj by paying the required fee so that they can visit any temple of their choice in the state. That's what the European and American tourists do when they come to Kerala. Later on, they can profess their own religion. It's as simple as that. Prakash Karat, are you listening? |
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