Kerala's Guruvayur temple conducts cleansing after non-Hindu vlogger enters pond

Kerala’s prominent Guruvayur Shri Krishna temple in Thrissur is set to conduct purification rituals at its pond today after a non-Hindu woman vlogger filmed a reel washing her feet there.

Guruvayur Devaswom said the act, carried out by Jasmin Jaffer, a former Bigg Boss contestant and social media influencer, violated temple customs and rendered the pond impure.

As a result, darshan has been restricted from 5 am to noon, with devotees allowed entry to the nalambalam only after the punyahakarma (purification rituals) are completed this afternoon.

Officials said the rituals would include a repeat of six days’ pujas, comprising 18 pujas and 18 sheevelis. Devotees have been urged to cooperate with the temporary restrictions.

Devaswom administrator OB Arun Kumar filed a complaint with the temple police, citing violation of the sanctity of the pond and disobedience of the High Court order prohibiting photography and videography in the temple’s restricted zones. Police informed the court that a case would be registered as per the court’s directive.

Jaffer, who made the video six days ago, later deleted it and issued an apology, claiming she was unaware of the restrictions.

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