KOCHI: The Cochin Devaswom Board has banned the offering of polyester silks at Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple. The ban came into effect yesterday. Polyester silks will be soon banned at Kodungallur temple as well. From now on, cotton silks will be available at the temple counter.

Every month, thousands of small and large red-coloured polyester silks, which cause environmental problems, reach both temples as offerings. The Devaswom Board issued the ban with the cooperation of Chottanikkara Panchayat. Authorities have also issued notices to the shops on the temple premises.

The silks that are offered at the temple are usually buried. The panchayat took over a load of polyester silks from the Chottanikkara temple grounds, including the buried ones, for disposal two weeks ago. No one is ready to buy these silks even if they are put for auction. The soil and trees of the two temple grounds have been littered with synthetic silks for years without decaying. Synthetic silks with plastic gold threads and other embellishments are also cheaper.

Plastic will be avoided

Most of the puja materials come in plastic covers. The policy of the Cochin Devaswom Board is to avoid plastic as much as possible from the temples. The board has issued circulars to temples. The project will be implemented with the cooperation of local bodies.