'Will conduct purification ritual, Guruvayur not any photoshoot location to gain followers'

Former Bigg Boss contestant Jasmin Jaffar invited trouble after she washed her feet in the sacred temple pond in the Guruvayur temple. Video filming is prohibited in the sacred pond, which is part of the temple. Non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the pond.

Following the incident, the temple Thantri instructed that purification rituals be performed in the temple as there was a violation of ritual. Jasmin had apologised following the controversy, and many came to her defence, calling the temple practice archaic.

Now, BJP leader Yuvraj Gokul has come out with a response on the issue. In a post shared as his personal opinion, Yuvaraj called out the gimmick of influencers to use temples and scared places to commit obscenities to garner followers on social media.

Yuvaraj's Facebook post:

"It came to my notice that many people masquerading as progressives have shared their two cents of advice on Guruvayur temple priests instructing on purification ritual at the temple following the entry of a non-Hindu.

On a personal note, I am against banning photos or videos in the temple premises, including Guruvayur. I’m not going much into the issue because this is not the stage to discuss it.

However, only devotees have the right to take those photos and videos. Our temples are not places for some people to show off their beauty to gain followers. These are not photo shoot locations. If such an act is committed, a purification ritual needs to be done as per the customs."