Thrissur, 08 August
Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan visited the famed Sree Krishna Temple at Guruvayur on Saturday evening, offering prayers and performing a traditional Thulabharam as part of his visit to the temple town.
Satheesan arrived at the temple ahead of the deeparadhana, the customary evening ritual, and was received by Guruvayur Devaswom Chairman A V Gopinath, managing committee member C Manoj and senior Devaswom officials.
Before proceeding for darshan, the Chief Minister performed the Thulabharam, a popular offering at Guruvayur in which a devotee is weighed against an item that is subsequently offered to the deity.
Satheesan chose nendran bananas for the ritual. Devaswom officials said 69 kg of bananas were used to balance his weight during the offering. An amount of Rs 3,550, representing the cost of the bananas, was remitted to the temple.
Thulabharam is among the widely performed offerings at the Guruvayur temple. Devotees undertake the ritual as part of vows or thanksgiving and can choose from a range of permitted items, including bananas, sugar and jaggery.
Following the ritual, Satheesan entered the temple and offered prayers before Lord Guruvayurappan. He spent some time at the shrine and completed the customary darshan before the evening rituals.
After the prayers, Guruvayur Devaswom authorities presented the Chief Minister with Guruvayurappan’s prasadam. The offerings included a thirumudi garland, kalabham, bananas and sugar.
Devaswom officials and temple employees accompanied Satheesan during the visit and coordinated arrangements for the Thulabharam and darshan.
The Chief Minister later left the temple premises after completing his prayers. His presence drew the attention of devotees who had gathered at the temple for the evening worship and deeparadhana.
