Kerala Temple Festival Sparks Row Over Display Of RSS KB Hedgewar Founder’s Portrait

Thiruvananthapuram: Politics seems to be getting increasingly intertwined with the massive temple festivals held during the summer months across Kerala and this time it is the display of RSS founder KB Hedgewar’s portraits during a temple festival in Kollam district that has sparked a controversy.

At earlier temple festivals, portraits of Left iconic figure Che Guevara, CPM supporters who were involved in murders were displayed. This year, in a new trend, political songs were sung at temple festivals prompting a warning from courts.

#Kerala: A portrait of KB Hedgewar, the founding leader of the @RSSorg, was featured alongside images of noted social reformers such as B.R Ambedkar and Sree Narayana guru during the kudamattam ritual at the Kollam Pooram festival.

The display occurred at the Puthiyakavu temple… pic.twitter.com/uCSxxF7x8v

— South First (@TheSouthfirst) April 16, 2025

In the latest case, the images of Hedgewar were reportedly displayed along with the photos of prominent social reformers like Sree Narayana Guru and B R Ambedkar during Puthiyakavu Temple festival in Kollam district Tuesday night.

The images of the leaders were displayed during the ‘Kudamattam’ (decorated umbrellas) at the festival.

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages a large number of temples in Kerala, has sought a report on the issue. However, the management of the Puthiyakavu Temple, which had allegedly displayed the pictures of the RSS leader during the festival, is not a TDB shrine.

Though Ashramam temple that comes under the TDB is the organiser of the event, other local temples, like Puthiyakavu, also take part in it.

The CPM and the RSS are in a race to woo the large number of Hindus during such festivals.

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