Date:19/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/19/stories/2008101952270400.htm

Kerala

Rites delayed at Guruvayur temple

Guruvayur: Some rituals at the Sreekrishna temple here were delayed on Saturday following an alleged go-slow agitation by ‘Keezhsanthis’ (assistant priests). The Guruvayur Devaswom suspended four assistant priests on Friday pending an inquiry into how a cigarette butt got into the ‘prasadam’ (‘Appam’) at the temple. Penitential rites were performed from Wednesday. ‘Usha Puja’ and ‘Choorunu’ ceremonies got delayed on Saturday. Devaswom Chairman Thottathil Ravindran said the developments had been brought to the notice of the Tantri. There were altercations between assistant priests and officials over the issue of impurities in ‘nivedyam.’ The priests demanded that officials certify that the ingredients for preparing ‘nivedyam’ were not contaminated.