Priest saved Yesudas from being crucified for visiting Sabarimala for first time

Lord Ayyappa’s wake-up song and the Harivarasanam before the closing of the temple, sung by Ganagandharvan Yesudas, have been a heartwarming experience for every devotee visiting Sabarimala for decades. Yesudas has visited Sabarimala many times and sung the Harivarasanam live. However, when Yesudas first visited Sabarimala, he faced some opposition from the Christian community. Even if it was for a short period, he had to face a lot of criticism.

At that time, a priest turned rescuer for him. It was Fr Justin Panakkal, who was also the composer of the evergreen Christian song Paithalam Yesuve.

He talks about that incident
‘In 1978, a bishop in Kuwait took me to his place in connection with writing a book. I spoke about the melodious voices of Yesudas and Lata Mangeshkar in the function held there. I spoke mostly about Yesudas. Controversies were brewing on Yesudas' visit to Sabarimala at that time. A large group came forward to crucify him. A person who played in Yesudas' troupe also attended that function. When Yesudas heard about me, he came to see me. He also invited me to the programme to be held in the next few days. He listened to my words a lot. That gave Yesudas a great comfort at that time.