New Delhi, Oct 8: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed that the ‘Udayasthamana pooja’ in the Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple in Kerala would be performed as per the tradition of the temple on ‘Vrishchikam Ekadasi’ on November 21 this year.
On Guruvayur Ekadasi, the ‘Udayasthamana pooja’ is a special, day-long ritual that is held from sunrise to sunset involving a series of 18 ‘poojas’, ‘homam’, and ‘abhishekam’.
A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi passed the order while hearing an application seeking a direction to conduct and perform the pooja at the temple on ‘Vrishchikam Ekadasi’.
The bench noted that the prayer sought was similar to the prayer made earlier in an application filed before it in 2025.
It noted that on October 30 last year, the top court had disposed of the earlier application by granting relief.
“In the light of the aforesaid order passed and subject to the final outcome of the appeal that is pending, by way of interim relief, we direct that the ‘Udayasthamana pooja’ shall be continued in the manner as it was being performed as per the tradition of the temple on ‘Vrishchikam Ekadasi’ falling on November 21, 2026,” the bench said.
It also granted liberty to the Devasom Board and the Thantri (chief priest) that ‘Udayasthamana pooja’ can also be performed on October 22.
While disposing of the application, the bench expedited the hearing on the appeal and posted it in the first week of December.
The pending appeal in the apex court arises out of a December 2024 verdict of the Kerala High Court on a plea concerning ‘Udayasthamana pooja’ in the temple. (PTI)
