Guruvayur Temple to Conduct Purification Rituals After Non-Hindu Vlogger Washes Feet in Sacred Pond

The Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple in Kerala’s Thrissur district will perform major purification rituals today after a non-Hindu woman vlogger was seen washing her feet in the temple’s sacred pond while filming a social media reel.

The incident involved Jasmin Jaffer, a social media influencer and former Bigg Boss contestant, who recorded the video at the temple pond six days ago. According to the Guruvayur Devaswom, her act violated strict temple customs and traditions, leading to the pond being considered spiritually defiled.

To restore sanctity, the temple has announced that darshan will remain restricted from 5 am to 12 noon. Devotees will be granted access to the nalambalam only after the completion of the punyahakarma (purification ceremony) scheduled for this afternoon.

Temple officials confirmed that the cleansing ritual will be elaborate, involving a repetition of six days’ worth of pujas, including 18 pujas and 18 sheevelis. They have urged devotees to cooperate with the temporary changes in temple routine.

Guruvayur Devaswom administrator OB Arun Kumar has also filed a complaint with the temple police, citing violation of temple sanctity and disobedience of a Kerala High Court order that prohibits photography and videography in restricted temple premises. In response, the police informed the court that a case will be registered in accordance with its directive.

Following the controversy, Jasmin Jaffer deleted the video and issued a public apology, stating that she was unaware of the temple’s restrictions and had no intention of hurting religious sentiments.