Even as devotees are eagerly waiting for the pronouncement of the judges of the Supreme Court on the entry for women of all ages to the sanctum sanctorum of the Sabarimala temple, a week-long prayer launched by the Travancore Devaswom Board to a judge who served the former State of Travancore centuries ago is progressing at a Devi temple at Cheruvally, near Ponkunnam, in Kottayam.
Uncle Judge’s Temple (Judgiammavan Koil) is the seat of the minor deity at the temple and is venerated by devotees for receiving favourable verdicts from courts in litigation.
Legend says so
From senior politicians to popular sports persons, facing litigation, had visited the temple and received the blessings at times of difficulty.
According to the legend, a judge of the court of Travancore, during the reign of Dharmaraja Karthika Tirunal Rama Varma (1758-1798), committed a grave error in his judgment and sentenced his own nephew to the gallows.
The uncle came to realise his mistake later and as atonement asked the king to hang him. With his ‘spirit’ making life miserable for his descendants, it was seated at the Cheruvally temple. Ever since, the ‘seat’ of the former judge’s spirit has become a shrine for those who seek justice from the courts.
TDB president Prayar Gopalakrishnan is on record making it clear that those who want the continuation of the present system, where women in the age group of 10 to 50 years are barred from the temple, would seek the intervention of Uncle Judge.
Unlike in other temples, the pujas at Uncle Judge’s Temple begins at night after the closure of the sanctum of the Devi temple. From Sunday last, scores of devotees are regularly offering prayers at the temple.
The Sabarimala case has been posted on November 7.
