The Congress and the BJP sparked a fresh controversy on Friday by accusing former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader A. Padmakumar of entrusting consecrated sacred objects used for worship in the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple’s sanctum sanctorum to his relatives for restoration.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan alleged that the TDB had in 2019 issued a “mystifyingly suspicious order” entrusting deity’s “yoga dandu bound with silver rings” and “ornamented rudraksha necklaces” to Mr. Padmakumar’s son for mending and further embellishment with precious metal, possibly gold.
Mr. Satheesan demanded that Mr. Padmakumar tell Ayyappa devotees which criteria or TDB norms he had followed when entrusting the sacred objects to his son for overhaul.
He accused Mr. Padmakumar of nepotism and said the former president had thrown the TDB manual to the wind. Mr. Satheesan demanded that Mr. Padmakumar reveal where the repair works were done and by whom.
The latest controversy came close on the heels of the High Court’s observation that some people in connivance with TDB officials had misappropriated the gold-cladded copper plates enveloping the temple’s ancient and revered stone carvings and sculptures for sale to wealthy collectors and private worship.
Former Union Minister and BJP leader V. Muraleedharan said Ayyappan’s possessions were not the family property of any person to handle the hallowed objects of worship as they saw fit.
Mr. Muraleedharan accused Mr. Padmakumar of giving lakhs of ardent Ayyappa devotees the short shrift by entrusting the deity’s possessions with his son.
“Mr. Padmakumar has much to explain to Ayyappa devotees. For one, he has to state the TDB norm that empowered him to transfer the sacred objects to his son,” he added.
Mr. Padmakumar told reporters in Pathanamthitta that the TDB had placed on the official record the transfer of the sacred objects to his son for repair. He said the entrusting of the overhaul was transparent and not surreptitious as alleged by the Opposition parties.
“My son is an Ayyappa devotee, and he offered to restore the religious artefacts. The sacred objects were repaired on the temple premises by smiths and not taken out of the Ayyappa temple as alleged by some quarters,” he said.
Published – October 10, 2025 08:23 pm IST
