The Travancore Devaswom Board has begun special rituals at temples across Kerala to address alleged ‘doshas’ associated with the Sabarimala temple. The rituals are being conducted at around 25 temples, including the Mookambika Temple in Kollur, as part of measures to remedy what has been described as a ‘vak dosham’ (adverse effects caused by words).
Special rituals were performed at the Kollur Mookambika Temple in Karnataka and at temples in Kasaragod. At the Mookambika Temple, a bell, tongue and stylus were offered as part of the ritual. A Maha Puja will also be conducted after the Navaratri celebrations.
According to the Devaswom Board, the ‘dosham’ was identified during a Deva Prashnam conducted in 2018. It was reportedly attributed to alleged abusive language used by employees and security personnel towards devotees at Sabarimala.
As part of the remedial measures, a Ranga Puja will be conducted at the Kumaramangalam Subrahmanya Swamy Temple at Bela in Kasaragod. Special rituals will subsequently be held at the Vishnu Temple in Edakkad, Kannur, and the Vadakkunnathan Temple in Thrissur. Similar rituals are also planned at the Koodalmanikyam Temple and around 20 other temples, according to the Devaswom Board.
The development comes amid an ongoing investigation into the alleged misappropriation of approximately 4.54 kilograms of gold from the Sabarimala temple, including gold used for the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames and Dwarapalaka idols. The alleged irregularities are said to have taken place in 2019 during work undertaken for refinishing and re-gold-plating temple structures.
Earlier on July 28, the Kollam Vigilance Court granted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) one-day custody of two accused in the alleged Sabarimala gold misappropriation case to facilitate detailed custodial interrogation. The accused, former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) President PS Prashanth and former TDB member A Ajikumar, were remanded to the custody of the SIT, which is probing the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.
Travancore Devaswom Board begins remedial rituals at 25 temples across Kerala to address Sabarimala ‘doshas’; vak dosham attributed to alleged abusive language towards devotees.
When words wound the divine, rituals seek to heal the sacred.
