On Monday, January 9, the Kerala High Court observed that a worshipper of Swami Ayyappa is duty-bound to exercise their right to worship with respect to the tradition of Sabarimala temple. The court also noted that worshippers should not be allowed to carry posters and photographs of celebrities and politicians inside the temple’s sanctum sanctorum or Swami Sannidhanam.
A bench comprising Justice Anil K Narendran and Justice P.G. Kumar directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to ensure that the ceremonies and rites are performed in accordance with the prevalent traditions of the temple.
Citing the court ruling in Sajeev Sastharam Vs State of Kerala which held that the worshippers are duty-bound to exercise their ‘right to worship’ in an accustomed manner and subject to tradition and practice prevalent in Sabarimala, the bench said that no pilgrim could be permitted entry to Sabarimala Sannidhanam, through Pathinettampadi or to have darshan in front of the Sopanam of Sabarimala Sannidhanam, carrying posters and photographs of celebrities, politicians, etc.
“The restrictions imposed at Sabarimala during Maasa Poojas and festival seasons, including Mandala-Makaravilakku festival season, are applicable to all ‘worshippers’, who are duty-bound to obey such restrictions, in order to ensure a smooth flow of pilgrims in front of the Sopanam of Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple and darshan for all pilgrims in the queue,” the court ruled.
The bench further ordered TDB to ensure that none of the worshipers carries posters and huge photographs of celebrities and politicians inside the Swami Sannidhanam. The court order noted that on average 80,000-90,000 pilgrims visit Sabarimala each day, which means 70 to 80 pilgrims will have to move through ‘Pathinettampadi’ (holy 18 steps) and through the barricades in front of the Sopanam of Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple in a minute. Therefore, if they carry large posters or any such items, they cause disturbance and slow down the queue. As a result, the court asked the temple authorities to ensure that nobody is allowed in carrying such large posters and photographs.
The High Court ordered the Kerala state government and the Travancore Devaswom Board to take necessary steps to ensure that every worshipper of Lord Ayyappa exercises his right of worship at Sabarimala Sannidhanam, in an accustomed manner and subject to the practice and tradition in Sabarimala.
It is notable that the High Court in December had suo motu registered a Devaswom Board Petition (DBP) on the basis of a complaint filed on November 30, 2022.
In a plea mailed to the Registrar General of the High Court, a devotee complained about pilgrims bringing posters and photographs of celebrities to Sabarimala Swami Sannidhanam. The complainant also attached three photographs of devotees carrying posters of politicians and movie stars including that of late Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar, and Tamil superstar Ajith Kumar’s Thunivu movie poster, to the temple’s sanctum sanctorum.
Besides posters and photographs, the court also took into account the news that a drummer named Sivamani played drums in front of the Sopanam of Sabarimala Sannidhanam. The court directed TDB to ensure that pilgrims do not play drums or any other musical instrument in front of the Sopanam of the temple’s sanctum sanctorum.
