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BEING the thantri (high priest) of the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple is an inherited right. According to the Guruvayur Devaswom Act, 1978, which governs the administration of the temple, the thantri, Chennas Raman Namboothiripad, is the final authority on "all religious, spiritual, ritual and ceremonial matters" at the temple. The day after the Guruvayur Devaswom authorities offered an apology for the purification ritual carried out on May 18, Raman Namboothiripad spoke to Frontline on the telephone about the controversy. Excerpts from the interview:
What was the rationale behind conducting the purification ritual at the temple after the controversy such an act had generated in 2000?
If a non-Hindu enters the temple punyaham [purification] is a must. I am not responsible for it. As long as I can remember, it has been the tradition. I cannot decide whether or not it needs to be done, because that is the job of the government. Once upon a time, if avarnas [people of the lower castes] entered the temple, the ritual of purification was performed. That practice has been done away with. Why? Because the government introduced a law prohibiting it. Let the government bring in legislation that prohibits rituals if non-Hindus enter the temple. Until then we will conduct such purification ceremonies. It is my duty. Others may have offered apologies but I have not. I have to do these rituals. If he [Ravi Krishna] comes again, we will have to conduct the purification ritual again.
But Union Minister Vayalar Ravi and his son Ravi Krishna have said that they are Hindu believers and the latter's certificates prove it.
The problem here is not that Ravi Krishna is the son of a Hindu father. It is that he is the son of a Christian mother. The code governing our tradition gives importance to the mother. Moreover, when he visited the temple in 2000 the then thantri had ordered a punyaham. I see no change in the circumstances that required the ritual then. In the early days, Namboothiris in Kerala used to marry Nair women. Did their children grow up as Namboothiris? I would say, `maternity is a reality'.
But the Guruvayur Devaswom Board chairman has said that the board is convinced that Ravi Krishna is a Hindu.
What the board chairman says is not applicable to me.
What do you see as a possible solution to this problem?
Let the government introduce a law in the Temple Entry Proclamation. Let the law say that non-Hindus can enter the temple. Then I will have no problem, because, as a citizen of India, I am duty bound to obey the law.
You said that tradition requires purification ceremonies when non-Hindus enter the temple. Is there any record of this requirment? When did this rule come about?
As long as I can remember it has been there. I do not know about what the practice was earlier. There is no written record. Such a practice had been going on here. That is all.
What exactly is the concept behind the punyaham ritual? Is it the belief that the person who enters the temple is `impure'?
It is meant to purify. The belief is that if the ritual is done with the proper recitation of the mantras, it will purify. The belief is that if such a person [a non-Hindu] enters the temple, the idol will become impure.
Are you not aware that as per the Guruvayur Devaswom Act, every member of the managing committee [the thanthri is an ex-officio member] has to swear he does not believe in untouchability?
This is not an issue of untouchability. This is a question of preserving the sanctity of the temple. Punyaham is an everyday ritual. For example, on my way to the temple to offer pujas, if my son were to touch me, I have to go and take a bath again before entering the temple. Can that be classified as untouchability? It is into such a place that a non-Hindu enters. What other recourse is there, other than conducting a punyaham?
But even foreigners, obviously non-Hindus, are allowed entry into the temple if they hold a certificate from the Arya Samaj in Kozhikode stating they believe in the Hindu religion. No purification is needed.
That is the result of a rule made by the old Zamorin Raja [hereditary trustees] long ago. I have not changed that. I am only following an old law. Only Arya Samaj has that right. I have no problem with that.
The Devaswom Board has decided to ask the government to amend the Guruvayur Devaswom Act to curtail the thantri's powers.
They are free to do so. As it is, what powers do I have?
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