PATHANAMTHITTA: Amid allegations that Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan, along with other dignitaries, was served the Ashtami Rohini vallasadya before it was offered to the deity, the thantri of Aranmula Sree Parthasarathy temple has stated that this year’s ritual was conducted “entirely against temple tradition”.
The event, held on September 14 at the temple and inaugurated by the devaswom minister, was attended by Agriculture Minister P Prasad and other top officials.
In a letter to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), temple thantri Parameswaran Vasudevan Bhattathirippad insisted that public atonement rituals must be performed to rectify the lapse. The thantri said the feast was served ahead of the ritual ‘Nivedyam’ (offering to the deity), which is a serious breach of temple customs.
The thantri has suggested remedial rituals, asking the members of the Palliyoda Seva Sangham, the temple advisory committee, devaswom assistant commissioner and devaswom administrative officer to present themselves before the deity and perform the ‘ennappanam’ ritual, a purification ceremony. In his letter, the thantri emphasised the importance of strict adherence to temple customs, warning that such violations should not be allowed to recur.
The thantri’s letter comes in the backdrop of allegations that the traditional feast was served to guests, including the minister, before it was offered to the deity during the Ashtami Rohini vallasadya, an important ritual associated with Lord Krishna. However, the Palliyoda Seva Sangham had termed the charges baseless.
Speaking to TNIE, Bhattathirippad confirmed that he had responded to a query from the Aranmula assistant devaswom commissioner regarding the reported lapses in the ritual. “He wrote to me saying the feast was reportedly served early, and asked whether a rectification ritual was necessary. I replied explaining the custom behind the Ashtami Rohini vallasadya. This is not an ordinary feast — it is deeply connected to the deity and follows ancient traditions,” he said.
Tradition was not followed, says Thantri
He clarified that as per tradition, fire must first be brought from the sreekovil to light the lamp at the sadhya venue. “Only then should the banana leaves be placed and a symbolic serving offered with prayers before the feast begins. This procedure was not followed. The event draws a huge crowd and there may be VIPs present, but that is irrelevant... As thantri, I am concerned only about the observance of traditions — not with who attends,” he said.
He said when a minister or any VIP is invited, it is the responsibility of the organisers to ensure the established customs are followed.
When asked, Vasavan refuted the allegations and said, “Let thantri explain it.”
TDB sources confirmed receiving the thantri’s letter but said the matter was yet to be discussed.
