Thiruvananthapuram: The erstwhile royal family, Ashwathi Thirunal Gauri Lakshmi Bayi and Pooyam Thirunal Gauri Parvathi Bayi, did not attend the temple entry proclamation anniversary event. The Travancore Devaswom board’s (TDB) flyers advertising the event came under flak for giving undue reverence to the erstwhile royals. The notice was later withdrawn by the TDB.

It is believed that the erstwhile royals decided to stay away from the ceremony to avoid further controversy. TDB president K. Anantha Gopan clarified that he has not discussed any matters related to the controversy with the erstwhile royal family members and they did not attend the function due to some illness.

He also said that the TDB did not agree with the views in the notice that ‘thanked’ the king’s generosity and also clarified that it is public knowledge how temple entry was agreed upon after various agitations. It has been decided to seek an explanation from the Director, Madhusudhan Nair in today’s meeting and appropriate action will be taken based on the explanation, he said.