Kodungallur, Kerala: In a move that is likely to trigger fresh debates within the party, senior CPM leader P Jayarajan reportedly made a discreet visit to the renowned Kodungallur Sree Kurumba Bhagavathy Temple in Thrissur district. The visit comes at a time when the LDF is still reeling from its Assembly election rout, and the party is already facing internal pressure over leaders’ temple visits. He arrived in the temple around 5:30 pm for a quick darshan before leaving promptly upon noticing that his presence was being recorded.
According to details shared from the temple premises, Jayarajan arrived accompanied by a security officer. The visit was reportedly kept under wraps, with the Devaswom authorities instructing temple staff not to disclose information about the CPM leader’s darshan. He completed the rituals swiftly and departed soon after spotting someone filming the visit.
Sree Kurumba Bhagavathy Temple, Kodungaloor
The Sree Kurumba Bhagavathy Temple, also known as Kodungallur Sree Kurumba Bhagavathy Temple, is one of the oldest and most significant temples in Kerala, dedicated to Goddess Bhadrakali (a fierce form of the Divine Mother, also revered as Sri Kurumba or Kodungallur Amma). It draws devotees seeking blessings for various needs, with the main offering Guruthi Pushpanjali (or Guruthy) being particularly noted in local traditions for addressing issues like mental distress and overcoming adversaries or enemies.
The Kodungallur temple is renowned not only for its spiritual significance but also for the grand Bharani festival celebrated annually, attracting thousands of devotees.
P. Jayarajan’s Kodungaloor Temple Visit
Jayarajan’s temple visit comes in the immediate aftermath of the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF)’s heavy defeat in the recent Kerala Assembly elections. The results, announced earlier this month, marked a significant setback for the ruling Left front, ending its decade-long hold on power in the state and reducing the CPI(M)’s seat tally sharply.
P Jayarajan, a veteran CPI(M) leader and former MLA from Koothuparamba, has long been a prominent figure in Kannur district politics and serves as a member of the party’s state committee. He has been known for his strong grassroots presence and at times outspoken views within the party.
Temple, God and Marxism
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has long been seen as a party rooted in atheist and Marxist ideals, where religion was expected to remain a personal matter rather than a public political identity. In Kerala, many party workers quietly balanced both worlds for years — attending party meetings while also visiting temples with their families during festivals and important occasions. Though such practices were rarely spoken about openly within the party, they remained a social reality among grassroots cadres and even senior leaders.
Now, the CPI(M) leadership appears ready to openly acknowledge that reality. State secretary M. V. Govindan said party members no longer need to hide their faith or temple visits, signalling a softer and more practical approach towards religion. After recent electoral setbacks, the party is also encouraging cadres to become more involved in temple committees and local community spaces — a major shift for a movement that once kept a visible distance from religious institutions.
Has Jayarajan visited Temples before?
E. P. Jayarajan has found himself at the centre of debates more than once over his visits to temples, reflecting the delicate balance between Kerala’s deeply rooted cultural traditions and the party’s officially atheist ideology.
In April 2017, Jayarajan visited the Mridanga Saileshwari Temple at Muzhakkunnu in Kannur district during the temple’s Pooramaholsavam festival. Invited by the temple authorities, he inaugurated a cultural event and later stepped inside the temple परिसर to admire its murals and traditional architecture. The visit quickly triggered discussions within CPM circles, with critics questioning whether such appearances blurred the party’s ideological line on religion. Jayarajan, however, maintained that his visit was cultural and official in nature, not an act of personal worship.
A similar conversation resurfaced in February 2023 when he attended an event at the Vennala Thaikkattu Mahadeva Temple in Kochi. During the function, he felicitated an elderly woman at the temple premises after being invited by local organisers and temple authorities. Once again, the visit drew media attention and sparked comments within political circles, especially because public participation in religious spaces by CPM leaders often becomes a sensitive subject in Kerala politics.
Did P. Jayarajan Emerge as One of the Left Voices Challenging Pinarayi Vijayan Within the Party?
Senior CPM leader P Jayarajan has firmly distanced himself from growing speculation within the party that he could replace state secretary M V Govindan following the LDF’s heavy defeat in the Assembly elections. Jayarajan, a member of the CPM state committee and a highly popular face of the party in north Kerala, asked his supporters to immediately remove all banners and flex boards featuring his photographs and to stop social media campaigns projecting him as an alternative leader.
In a strongly worded Facebook post on Thursday, Jayarajan said he had come to know that boards bearing his image had surfaced in some places after the election results. “The boards carrying my photograph should be removed,” he stated. His intervention comes amid mounting anger within sections of the CPM cadre, which has spilled into the open after the party’s poor performance, particularly in its traditional strongholds in north Kerala.
In recent days, the social media pages of senior leaders, including state secretary M V Govindan and Kannur district secretary K K Ragesh, have been flooded with thousands of comments from workers and sympathisers demanding a leadership change, greater accountability, and genuine inner-party democracy.
