Supreme Court Directs Guruvayur Temple To Hold Udayasthamana Pooja On Vrishchikam Ekadashi As Per Traditions

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the administration and the Chief Priest of Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple to ensure that the Udayasthamana Pooja is carried on Vrishchikam Ekadasi (falling on December 1)itself. 

A bench of Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice Vijay Bishnoi was hearing the challenge to the Kerala High Court's order passed last year refusing to entertain the dispute over the cancellation of the Udayasthamana Pooja on Vrishchikam Ekadasi by the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple. 

The High Court had upheld the decision of the temple administration to cancel the pooja on the date of Ekadashi due to crowd management concerns. 

The Supreme Court, as an interim order, has directed the Devaswom (the temple administrative body) and Thantri (Chief Priest) to conduct and perform the pooja at the Temple on Vrishchikam Ekadasi falling on 01.12.2025 (Monday). 

The bench clarified that the pooja has to be conducted as per the age-old customs, rituals and traditions of the temple. It further observed that the Thantri and the administration were at liberty to decide whether they want to conduct the pooja on their suggested date ( November 2), along with the mandatory pooja on the Ekadashi date. 

The Appellants (Temple's hereditary priestly family) were represented Sr Advocate CS Vaidyanathan and AoR A Karthik. They have mainly contended that Udayasthamana Pooja on the Ekadasi day of Vrishchikam is conducted to increase the divinity of the deity, which is a religious practice followed in the temple for time immemorial.

Further, they had stressed that it is the right of the deity that he should be worshipped on Vrishchikam Ekadasi by the performance of Udayasthamana Pooja by the Othikans.

Previously, in December 2024, the Court, while hearing the matter, had questioned whether the pooja can be stopped on the ground that it will cause inconvenience to the public. Justice Maheshwari observed, “Pooja has been stopped on the pretext of causing inconvenience to the public. Pooja is for the deity. For increasing the divinity of the deity. So, this cannot be as per the public. Management may find a way to manage things. How far this reason is justified, we have to examine this point.”

Background

The dispute arose from a decision by the temple administration, supported by the Tantri, to forego the Udayasthamana Pooja on Vrishchikam Ekadasi, citing difficulties in crowd management and a desire to allow more devotees time for darshan. The appellants, who are members of the temple's hereditary priestly family, challenged this decision, contending that it violated age-old customs and rituals.

The appellants argued before the High Court that the Udayasthamana Pooja has been conducted for centuries and was streamlined by Adi Sankaracharya himself. They emphasized that its non-performance would disturb the spiritual sanctity of the deity and offend the beliefs of devotees.

The temple administration and the Tantri, however, maintained that the Udayasthamana Pooja is not an indispensable ritual but a form of offering (Vazhipadu), which has been altered in the past to accommodate practical considerations. The administration also highlighted that the change was made in consultation with the Tantri after determining that it would not adversely affect the temple's rituals or traditions.

The Kerala High Court referred to various judgments that held that under the Guruvayur Devaswom Act, 1978, the Tantri has the final authority in matters of religious and ceremonial practices, unless such decisions contravene any law.

The High Court said that the question of whether the performance of Udayasthamana Pooja in Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple on Vrishchikam Ekadasi on the Shuklapaksham day is part of the temple traditions (Acharams) or an offering (Vazhipadu), is a disputed question of facts. The Court dismissed the petition, stating that the issue has to be agitated before a competent civil court, and not the High Court in writ jurisdiction.

Case no. – SLP(C) No. 29687/2024

Case Title – PC Hary v. Guruvayoor Devaswom Managing Committee