The Supreme Court on Thursday has directed the Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Committee to continue the Udayasthamana Puja at the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple in Kerala in the manner in which it was performed earlier, pending the final outcome of the appeal.
The Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Vipul M Pancholi was hearing a dispute concerning the decision of the temple administration not to conduct the Udayasthamana Puja on Vrishchikam Ekadashi, citing difficulties in managing the large number of devotees visiting the temple on the auspicious day.
During the hearing, the temple administration submitted that Udayasthamana Puja is an offering (Vazhipadu) and not a mandatory daily ritual. It submitted that while the offering is available to devotees on several days, the Devaswom traditionally conducts it on Ekadashi as a representative of devotees.
The administration argued that the decision to shift the puja was taken after considering the huge crowd on Ekadashi, with submissions that around one lakh devotees had attended on the relevant day and maintaining crowd control while keeping the temple closed for the additional pujas had become difficult.
The Tantri submitted that the mandatory daily pujas at the temple had never been discontinued and that Udayasthamana Puja was an additional offering involving 15 additional pujas besides the daily rituals. The Court, however, directed that the puja should continue as per the earlier practice.
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“In the light of the aforesaid order passed, subject to the final outcome of the appeal that is pending, by way of interim relief, we direct that the Udyasthamana Puja shall be continued in the manner as it was performed, as it was being performed, as per the practice of the temple.”
The Court was specifically requested to replace the word “tradition” with “practice” in the interim direction, to avoid giving the term a wider legal connotation at this stage.
The Court further noted that the final appeal would examine the larger issues arising from the dispute, including the nature of the Udayasthamana Puja and whether the practice claimed by the petitioners forms part of the temple’s religious tradition.
The dispute had earlier reached the Supreme Court after the Kerala High Court declined to interfere with the temple administration’s decision. In October 2025, the Supreme Court had observed that long-standing religious practices should not ordinarily be altered merely on the ground of administrative inconvenience and had directed the temple to conduct the puja on Vrishchikam Ekadashi.
The matter remains pending for final adjudication.