In 1994, I went to Trivandrum on an assignment. It was
my FIRST visit to Kerala and I did not know anyone at Trivandrum or
Kerala. The Tourism Department guide at the airport, advised me to stay
at Hotel Chaithram, which is near the railway station.
When I went to restaurant to eat something, I saw food items
beef chilly, beef fry, beef curry etc on the menu. I thought as
Trivandrum was getting visitors from all over the world and Chaithram was a
government hotel, so they must be acting cosmopolitan and therefore serving
beef preparations.
A Hindu couple in Kerala
I had to be at Trivandrum for 4-5 days and therefore visited many places in the
city. I noted beef was served in nearly all the restaurants in city and
also the food shacks at Kovalam Beach.
I was told that everyone, including the Hindus ate beef in many parts of Kerala. I was greatly surprised as I had noticed Kerala Hindus to be quite devout. One had to remove shirt and also wear a dhoti to enter Padmanabhswami temple at Trivandrum. I could not go inside that temple as I was not carrying a dhoti with me.
I was told that everyone, including the Hindus ate beef in many parts of Kerala. I was greatly surprised as I had noticed Kerala Hindus to be quite devout. One had to remove shirt and also wear a dhoti to enter Padmanabhswami temple at Trivandrum. I could not go inside that temple as I was not carrying a dhoti with me.
Padmanabha Swami temple of Trivandrum
My work took me to Trivandrum and a few other places in South Kerala for
many years. At Trivandrum, I used to stay in Hotel Residency Towers which was
adjacent to Secretariat. There two food vans used to sell Beef Chilly and
a plate was priced only 12 rupees during those days. These vans were very
popular with secretariat employees most of whom seemed to be Hindus as seen
from the TILAK on their foreheads.
Dress code for going inside most Kerala temples
I have not visited Kerala for the past 10-12 years. But I am told that beef is still served in restaurants there like before.
What do cow vigilantes have to say about this situation?
I am staying at thrissur (another district of Kerala) for the last two years. Beef eating is a common practice among Hindus and all other religions too. Apart from beef and sea food, pork and rabbit meat are commonly found food in restaurants. As I have many friends from different part of the state I came to know that non-veg is being cooked seven days a week in homes. However like North Indians they do not serve it in marriages.
ReplyDeleteAbout Padmanabhswami temple at Trivandrum, now a days dhoti or a white cloth is available at shops in front of the temple. It will cost from 250-400 rs.
Apart from beef, one thing that amazed me was gold. In Kerala gold is intensively used as an ornament. In most of the marriages (especially in South Kerala) bride is embellished with 1 kg of gold. Along with gold, land and expensive vehicles are being given as dowry. But still female foeticide is not an issue like North Indian states.
Ravi Dutt Sharma check your facts. Find out from the census the population of Hindus in the Southern states.
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