Protest over Information Commission's order on Thiruvabharanam

Protest over Information Commission's order on Thiruvabharanam11/4/2007 6:40:10 PM Pioneer News Service Thiruvananthapuram

The controversial order of the State Information Commission to the Travancore Dewaswom Board (TDB) on a request of a devotee to provide him with a copy of the stock register of the list of "Thiruvabharanam" (precious ornaments worn by the God on special occasions) of the Thiruvallam Sree Parasuramaswami temple has created controversies with several devotees and Hindu organisations coming out against it.The Information Commission has issued a directive to the TDB on the request of a devotee to have a copy of the stock register of the valuable ornaments. The Information Commission has directed the TDB not only to provide him with a copy of the stock register but also to show him the valuable ornaments locked in the strong rooms.Sources in the Travancore Dewaswom Board told The Pioneer that this would create a wrong precedence and would follow many more similar requests regarding display of ornaments of the deities in around 1,200 temples under the Travancore Dewaswom Board, including the famous Sabarimala Ayyapa Swami Temple.Hindu organisations have already registered their protest on this blatant violation of Hindu religious customs. Hindu Aikyavedi leader Kummanam Rajashekharan said that this would amount to serious breach of security of the ornaments as also a mockery of the Hindu religious traditions and customs. There is also a directive from the honourable High Court regarding restriction of display of ornaments of Sabarimala Temple.The Thiruvabharanams or the precious ornaments are put on the lord only during the festivals and it falls only once in a year and the present directive of the Information Commission will lead to a clear violation of this custom and tradition, they opine.Senior priests told The Pioneer that if such an order was implemented under the Right to Information Act it would lead to total violation of the traditions which did not show or display the lords ornaments unless during the period of the annual temple festival, a practice which was being followed for ages.The ongoing traditional astrological consultations at the Guruvayoor Sreekrishna Swamy temple has clearly shows the resentment of the Lord on several decisions taken by the temple administration. The priests are worried that such a blatant violation of traditional Hindu customs and display of ornaments could have serious after effects.The ornaments which are now under the custody of the Travancore Dewaswom Board are of high antique value and the board also expects a serious security threat on display of these ornaments.Sources in the board told The Pioneer that complying with this directive from the Information Commission would be followed by several other such requests and the antecedents of the parties could not be ascertained leading to a serious security threat to the temples and the ornaments of the lord. This will create a major chaos among the believing Hindu community.


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K.Venugopal 11/4/2007
I think it is a good idea to have all the properties of temples, including ornaments etc. duly stock-taken at regular intervals and the records kept with respective devasom authorities, with the right of any devotee to verify the same at any time. This is essential to prevent embezzlement from 'within' - God knows what we may have lost so far due to unscrupulous 'guardians' in league with the types who steal antique idols. I am surprised that Hindu organisations are objecting to the Information Commissioner's order. There would be less chance of theft if records are proper than now, where such records may not exist.