For over 2,000 years, the Kottiyoor Temple complex has stood as one of Hinduism’s most revered sacred sites. Its Vaishaka Mahotsavam, observed for more than 1,200 years and codified by Adi Shankaracharya, commemorates the legendary Daksha Yaga through rituals performed exclusively by 64 traditional Hindu Sthanikars. There is no historical record of any “Bavalikkettu” ritual in this tradition.
Yet Shahid Thekkil, a Congress leader from Karnataka and Chairman of the Karnataka Minimum Wage Advisory Board, arrived at the Bavali River with a group posing as historians, performed an act known only to them, filmed it with a media crew, and promoted it across social media.
The Kottiyoor Temple Devaswom Board have publicly stated that they have no knowledge of any such ritual and that the temple’s traditional rights belong solely to recognised Hindu titleholders..
This can’t be seen an isolated incident, but as part of a broader pattern: challenge long-standing customs, publicise the violation, and repeat it until it is presented as a “new tradition.” From controversies surrounding Waqf claims in Tamil Nadu to the latest dispute at Kottiyoor, the pattern is becoming increasingly clear.
Who authorised this act? Who provided the backing? And why was a centuries-old custom disregarded?
Incidentally, both Kerala and Karnataka are ruled by Congress-led UDF. It is difficult to believe that Shahid would undertake such a provocative act—one that has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of countless Hindu devotees—without support or approval from higher authorities.
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