Veteran RSS pracharak and Akhil Bharatiya Sampark team member A Jayakumar, a close friend of actor Mammootty, performed a special ritual for the actor’s health and longevity at the Rajarajeshwara temple in Kerala’s Kannur.
The ritual involved an offering of the traditional ponninkudam (golden vessel).
Temple authorities welcomed Jayakumar and presented him with a photograph of the deity, Lord Rajarajeshwara. The temple, 3 km from Taliparamba town, is known for the neyy vilakku (ghee lamps) and ponninkudam offerings, considered among its most important rituals.
This coincided with Mammootty arriving in Kerala after treatment in the US for the last eight months.
Rajarajeshwara temple has also been visited by several high-profile personalities, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who offered ponninkudam in July. Shah had earlier visited the temple in 2017 while serving as BJP president.
Other prominent visitors include former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, former Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa, and former ICC chairman N Srinivasan.
The temple also continues to attract several figures from the film industry and politicians. The ghee lamp in the temple is said to have been kept burning ever since sage Agastya lit it, as per temple folklore.
The temple holds historical significance. It was the prime deity of the Chera kingdom and patron deity of the Kolathunadu Sun dynasty. The title is said to have come after the conquest by Rajendra Chola between 1014 AD and 1044 AD.
The temple allows women in the inner circle area after 8 pm. It had also faced attacks from Tipu Sultan’s forces.