THRISSUR: The Guruvayur Devaswom has requested devotees to refrain from offering tulsi (basil) at the Guruvayur Sri Krishna temple, sparking a controversy among devotees and organisations who argue that it infringes on their rights.
Temple authorities emphasise that tulsi leaves offered by devotees are not used for rituals or garlands, but instead are handed over to a firm for extracting value-added products. However, due to pesticide contamination in tulsi bought from private vendors, the firm deems it unusable and discards it. This has led the temple administration to strongly advise against offering tulsi purchased from shops.
For the past year, the devaswom has been making announcements inside the temple, citing concerns about the purity of tulsi sourced from private parties. Experts on temple rituals note that devotees often buy flowers and gold or red ‘Pattukonakam’ to offer at the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Krishna, in line with practices at temples across India and in some regions of Kerala.
However, in central Kerala, flowers offered by devotees are typically not used for ‘archana’ or garlands. At the Guruvayur temple, specific families have traditionally been responsible for arranging flowers for poojas and rituals, with certain flowers prohibited and others deemed essential for specific ceremonies.
In temples under the Cochin Devaswom Board, if devotees wish to offer garlands, they can obtain a receipt after payment and pass it to the designated individual for preparation. Offering flowers is often restricted in these temples due to concerns about purity and customary usage.
Temple administrator K. P. Vinayan clarified that the temple has not banned tulsi or Krishna tulsi. “We have only requested devotees to avoid offering tulsi purchased from outside shops due to its high pesticide content, which renders it unusable,” he said.
Meanwhile, M. Bijesh, secretary of the Kshethra Raksha Samithi, urged the devaswom to reconsider its position. “If the devaswom can accept items like cars and gold jewellery that cannot be used for rituals, it should not restrict devotees from offering something dear to the presiding deity. Why not explore other uses for these flowers instead of discouraging their offering?” he questioned.
Devaswom chairman V. K. Vijayan suggested that devotees consider offering alternatives to tulsi, such as lotus. He also alleged that vested interests are spreading propaganda against the Guruvayur Devaswom. Attempts to reach Guruvayur thantri Chennas Dineeshan Namboothirippad for comments were unsuccessful.