Guruvayur: Devotees arriving at the Sri Krishna Temple here will be able to worship the deity until 2.30 pm during the uccha (noon) pooja in April and May. Considering the rush of devotees during the vacation season, the temple authorities have decided to extend by one hour the worship time at noon. The extra one hour will enable more number of pilgrims to pay obeisance to the deity. Usually, the temple closes at 1.30 pm and re-opens at 4.30 pm.
From Saturday onwards devotees will be allowed to get a glimpse (darshanam) of the deity by bypassing the queue if they pay Rs 1,000 to offer 'neivilakku' (ghee lamp) at the 'sreelakam' (sanctum sanctorum), said K B Mohandas, the chairman of the Devaswom Board, the organisation that oversees the temple administration. Devotees opting for this facility will be provided a prasadam (holy offering) kit.
Meanwhile, the old facility that allowed a group of five pilgrims to avoid the queue will continue. Under this arrangement, Rs 4500 was charged for offering 'neivilakku' at the 'sreelakam'.
The authorities, who decided to ring in these changes, however didn't take a decision on allowing more than one person for the popular as well as prized daily dawn-to-dusk worship (udayasthamana pooja). A decision regarding this will be taken at the next committee meeting to be attended by chief priest (tanthri) Chennas Narayanan Namboodiri.
New charges for offering free food (prasada oottu) to the devotees have also come into effect. Rs 15,000 each will have to be paid for one-time prasada oottu for breakfast and supper. Rs 1 lakh is the new rate for the annadaanam as lunch. By paying Rs 150,000 a devotee can sponsor the prasada oottu for the whole day. Devotees can also pay an amount of their choice to contribute to the free meal service.