PALAI: Remnants of a temple have been found on land owned by the Catholic Diocese of Palai in Kerala, prompting the Church to allow Hindus devotees to hold a devaprasnam — an astrological ritual carried out to interpret the will of God.
According to members of local Hindu outfits as well as the Church, the remains, which includes a Shiv Linga, surfaced last week while earthmovers were being used to plough 1.8-acre land for tapioca cultivation. The land is 1 km away from Sree Vanadurga Bhagavati temple at Vellappadu near Palai. Authorities of this temple are planning to conduct devaprasnam at the site.
“The remnants of the temple were found on February 4 and we came to know about it two days later, when local people visited the site and lit lamps. We immediately contacted the priests at the bishop’s house. Both sides sat together, and they had a very positive approach and agreed for conducting devaprasnam on the land,” Vinod K S, a member of the Sree Vanadurga Bhagavati temple committee at Vellappadu, said, adding that the temple committee was “keeping away from the land at this stage to avoid any issues”.
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Fr Joseph Kuttiankal, the chancellor of the diocese of Palai, confirmed that the remains of a temple had indeed been found on the land.
“We have a very cordial relationship with Hindu community in Palai and we will maintain that harmony. Our Diocese has a very loving approach towards their demands,” the priest said, referring to the demand for conducting a devaprasnam.
Advocate Rajesh Pallat, president of Hindu Maha Sangham at Meenachil (Palai), said they were “moved” by the Church’s gesture.
“Our forefathers used to recall the existence of a temple. The land along with the temple was with a Brahimin family. Somewhere in the past, maybe a century back, the temple perished and the property got transferred through several hands, from Hindus to Christians, before reaching the Palai Diocese,” he said.