A temple administration in Kerala’s North Malabar barred a Poorakkali artist from performing at temples due to his son’s marriage to a Muslim woman, according to reports. Poorakkali dancer Vinod Panicker, a Kannur resident, was banned by the Kuniyan Bhagavathy Temple Committee as a non – Hindu lived in his home.
Poorakkali is a traditional dance event in Kerala that takes place during the Pooram temple festival. Vinod Panicker had to remove a scheduled event and was replaced by another artist. Panicker stated that he would not reject his daughter-in-law even if he was banned. He stated that his son has been married for more than four years. During this time, Panicker has been playing in numerous temples.
Panicker said that this was the first time temples in Kannur’s Karivellur had denied him down for a performance. ‘The temple committee members told me that I cannot perform the ritualistic dance my daughter in law stayed at my house. They told to me either shift her to another house or move my daughter-in-law to a different place during the ritual. However, I cannot accept these proposals’ He said.
The temple authorities maintained that they were unable to violate the temple’s rituals. ‘Rituals cannot be performed from a house where non-Hindus reside. No ban has been imposed on him. He refused to accept the proposal we put forward,’ a temple committee member said.
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