'It is wrong to assume that it is only after 1991 that we started following this ritual.' 'Ayyappan himself instructed where the temple had to be built, the rituals that had to followed and the route that had to be taken by devotees to the temple.'
Taking note of the higher turnout of 2.5 million for the ritual in March 2009, Guinness upgraded the record recently as a religious event that draws the largest gathering of women, temple sources said.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined a plea filed by Padmanabhaswamy Temple Trust seeking to exempt it from the audit of 25 years as ordered by the top court last year.
President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday approved 139 Padma awards including seven Padma Vibhushans, 19 Padma Bhushans and 113 Padma Shris.
The specter of how the Munambam issue was exploited during the November by-elections is proof of the price Kerala is paying for its emergent politics. Controversies become the stuff of slow-burn and brinkmanship. The former promises mileage; the latter searches for an advantage, notes Shyam G Menon.
He, however, made it clear that a sudden change cannot be expected as it was a "sensitive matter" related to an age-old custom and tradition.
Rahul Gandhi visits the Mata Kheer Bhawani temple and the Hazratbal shrine in Kashmir.
The Kerala government has sanctioned Rs.1.54 crore to purchase modern cameras and other equipment to strengthen security at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, where a huge treasure trove was found recently.
Much drama is likely to continue in the coming year, within the Sangh Parivar as well as involving the Opposition parties and, of course the BJP's allies, predicts Modi biographer Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
The only family Meghana lived with after losing her parents and brother in the tsunami was her dog, Alex. When Alex died after 13 years, she took her ashes to where her own family lay under the ocean. "I wanted her to join the rest of my family and that is one of the best things I have done."
Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy has said that the state government would not stake any claim to the treasure, valued at Rs 1 lakh crore, which was uncovered at Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram.
Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy on Wednesday said his government would go by the verdict of the Supreme Court on the wealth of Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram.
'Thanthris (chief priests of temples) have no right to determine who is a believer'.
If you have an appetite for crowds and the visual spectacle of many focused on one task or activity, a pooram will engage you, notes Shyam G Menon.
Wearing a traditional Kerala dhoti and white shawl, Modi was received at the temple gate by the authorities with a traditional poornakumbh.
The Left government in Kerala on Thursday withdrew a handbook for police personnel on duty at the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala after the Bharatiya Janata Party raised a hue and cry over a mention in the book that all pilgrims can enter the temple.
Was this Chennai? Or Singapore? There's an area in Singapore that looked like a suburb of Chennai.
As the Left government in Kerala gears up to inaugurate a cultural centre at Travancore House, in the heart of the national capital, on August 4, the Travancore royal family has moved the central government and various local bodies in Delhi with a request to halt the same.
'Art has no religion. An artist is an artist.'
Embark on a romantic escapade without worrying about the budget!
'When you have a committee, there will not be any autocracy.' 'It means one person cannot take any decision on the temple.'
'Reluctance to go against temple rituals is understandable and the Hindu vote bank is extremely important at the ensuing elections.' 'But even the devout Hindus will not hold it against the government if the opportunity presented by the tragedy is utilised at least for a temporary ban.' 'Later, it may be too late as it might dawn on people that a hundred lives are not too much of a sacrifice to save a tradition,' says Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
On the list are: A Gujarat beach, a litle corner of Sikkim and a spot in the hills of Tamil Nadu.
Division Bench comprising Justice Anil K Narendran and Justice PG Ajithkumar initiated the suo motu.
The Bharatiya Janata Party lined up several promises, including a legislation to protect traditions of the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala and a law against "love jihad", while assuring employment for at least one person from each family and free laptops to high school students, in its manifesto for the assembly polls unveiled in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.
He could have blazed a trail that few Indian judges had. It was a missed opportunity of a lifetime, notes Ramesh Menon.
When the landslide hit, Sruthi's house was washed away, along with its inhabitants. She lost her entire family and some relatives. All she had left for a close confidante was her fiance Jenson. Days after the landslide and the loss of her family, Jenson died in a road accident that also left Sruthi with serious injuries. News of the accident and Sruthi's backdrop as the lone surviving member of a family wiped out in the July landslide, was picked up by the media, and people rushed to help.
Rehana Fathima, a woman's right activist, was facing charges under various provisions of the POCSO, Juvenile Justice and the Information Technology (IT) Acts for circulating a video in which she was seen posing semi-nude for her minor children, allowing them to paint on her body.
The SC set aside the 2011 verdict of the Kerala high court which had directed the state to set up a trust to take control of management and assets of the historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
The national award-winning actor had organised a mass Vishu kaineettam campaign earlier this week in Thrissur, where he unsuccessfully contested in the last assembly and Lok Sabha polls.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday visited Arichalmunai, a southern tip in Tamil Nadu, in Rameswaram as part of his Ramayana-connect visits in the state, and paid floral tributes at the seashore.
Devaswoms are meant to manage temples, not the faithful. Why didn't they simply stick to their set of responsibilities and execute it well and efficiently?, asks Shyam G Menon.
What should be made out of the Madras high court order involving non-Hindus' entry into Hindu temples, when many non-Hindus are among the hundreds of thousands that have been worshipping at these temples for generations, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
Mahatma Gandhi showed India how to fight for Independence using khadi. Today khadi and handloom have become one of the many incredible faces India shows the world.
In a dramatic incident in Kerala, a young bride was forcibly taken away from the groom by the police on Sunday evening minutes before the inter-faith couple were set to tie the knot at a temple near Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram.
Barring entry to non-Hindu devotees should be construed as 'contempt on Hindu religion' and anyone who is ready to follow the temple traditions should be allowed to worship, Bhattathiripad said.
Tamil Nadu's Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has reacted to Andhra Pradesh counterpart Pawan Kalyan's out-of-turn taunts with a one-liner, 'Let's wait', and thereby hangs a tale, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
'What authority has a secular government to administer Hindu temples? When Hindu temples are ruled by secular governments, what religious freedom do Hindus have?'
After the controversy surrounding Kannada actress Jayamala's entry into the Sabarimala temple, a new row has been kicked up by Malayalam actress Meera Jasmine, a Christian, offering prayers at Raja Rajeshwara temple at Taliparamba near Kannur.
"The district authority should work in a cohesive manner while banning a traditional festival which has been taking place for decades without interruption," Senkumar said in a scathing attack on Kollam district administration.
