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Ayyappa devotees rise against liquor baron's golden offering

D Jose in Thiruvanathapuram

This is about spirit and spirituality. Or to be more precise, how the blending of the two is creating, well, spirited protests from many Hindus in Kerala.

The venue is Sabarimala, Lord Ayyappa's abode. And the incident in question, a decision to decorate the sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) with gold leaves.

Many of the Lord's devotees, you see, do not think much of the idea. Especially as the Rs.17.5 million required for the operation comes from liquor baron Vijaya Mallya, helmsman of the United Breweries Limited. He gave the required 31 kg of gold and 1,900 kg of copper as an 'offering' to the deity.

Spirituality, the devotees say, is perfectly fine. And so are spirits. But not together.

By the way, using gold for religious purposes is nothing new in Kerala. The Guruvayoor temple, one of the most famous institutions in South India, is a glowing example in this regard. Christians, too, have been using gold in churches.

The Sabarimala decoration, which began in May, took three months to complete. The done-up sanctum sanctorum was formally handed over to the Travancore Dewaswom Board that runs the temple, on September 4, Thiru Onam day. The consecration is scheduled on October 15, on a grand scale.

One of the severest critics of the Dewaswom Board's decision is Damodaran Potti, former Kerala assembly speaker and president of the Ayyappa Seva Sangham. "Devotees who undertake the rigorous trek to Sabarimala every year observe self-imposed penance for 41 days," he gives vent, "During this time they don't indulge in sex, alcohol or consume non-vegetarian food. Therefore, it is improper on the part of the Dewaswom Board to seek financial assistance (from Mallya)."

Congress leader and MLA G Karthikeyan has this to say about the affair: "The decoration could very well have been done with the revenue earned as offerings from devotees, which itself comes to Rs 350 million every year."

That, however, is not to say that everyone finds fault with Mallya's contribution. Kaviad Divakara Panicker, Congress leader and former member of the Dewaswom Board, who says the decision was taken during his term in office, is one such.

According to him, Mallya is an ardent devotee of Ayyappa and visits the temple every year. During one such visit, the Dewaswom Board sought his assistance and Mallya readily agreed.

"There is no impropriety in seeking Mallya's assistance as he is engaged in a business that is perfectly legal in the country," he says.

Critics, meanwhile, accuse Mallya of engaging in the 'holy exercise' with business motives. His plans, they say, to put up boards advertising his group in the entire valley, where millions visit every year, was thwarted by the Kerala high court.

While permitting the UB group and Dewaswom Board to decorate the sanctum sanctorum, the court stipulated that the businessman should not use the 'offering' for commercial publicity in the valley. It allowed only one board stating that the sanctum sanctorum was done up as an offering by Vijay Mallya. This would exist at the Pamba river, where devotees congregate on the final leg of their pilgrimage.

UB brands are quite popular in Kerala, which has the highest per capita consumption of liquor in the country today.

Legend has it that the Ayyappa idol was installed by Parasurama at Sabarimala. The temple was initially maintained by the Pandalam palace. Later it was handed over to the Travancore administration, from where it passed on to the Travancore Dewaswom Board.

Interestingly, despite attracting millions of pilgrims every year and receiving billions of rupees in offerings, the temple does not have enough basic amenities such as drinking water, sanitary facilities and lodging.

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