SC asks Guruvayur Devaswom to perform Udayasthamana puja on Vrishchikam Ekadasi as per tradition.

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The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the Udayasthamana puja at the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple in Kerala should be held on the auspicious day of Vrishchikam Ekadasi in accordance with the age-old customs and traditions of the temple.

A bench headed by Justice JK Maheshwari said the primary duty of the Tantri was to protect and enhance the vitality of the deity by adhering to the traditions and not changing the date of the puja for the convenience of the worshipers. Referring to the Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple in Tirupati, the Bench said traditions were followed without exception despite the huge influx of worshipers there.

The apex court was hearing a special leave petition filed against a decision of the Kerala High Court dated December 7 last year dismissing a plea seeking directions to the respondents, including the Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Committee, represented by senior advocate CA Sundaram and ML Jishnu, to perform the Udayasthamana puja on Vrishchikam Ekadasi.

The petitioner, PC Hary, represented by senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan, K. Parameshwar and advocate A. Karthik, said the puja was a sacred and integral part of the ritual tradition of the temple. The petitioner contended that according to the Panchangam for the year 2025, the Guruvayur Vrishchikam Ekadasi falls on December 1, 2025, a Monday.

“Petitioners have now reliably learned that the respondents have once again taken the decision not to perform the Udayasthamana puja on Vrishchikam Ekadasi but on another date i.e. November 2, 2025 in complete disregard of the established religious practices,” the petitioners said.

They submitted that the change in the date was made despite the apex court having specifically noted on December 11 last year that “the card of daily puja, as available on the website of Shri Guruvayurappan Temple, shall not be changed or removed till the next date of posting.”

“Until 2023, the Udayasthamana puja was invariably performed on the day of Vrishchikam Ekadasi, and only in the last two years, 2024 and 2025, have the respondents tried to change this well-established religious practice. Such arbitrary decisions of the respondents strike at the root of the traditional practices of the temple, which have been observed for centuries. The Udayasthamana puja on Vrishchikam Ekadasi is not merely symbolic but a series of nearly 15 to 18 pujas performed from sunrise to sunset,” the petitioners said.