“The Print Publishes Article Derogating Hindu Deity Sabarimala Ayyappan As “Controversial God” Written By A Distortionist”, The Commune, April 12, 2026

“The Print has published an opinion piece titled “How Ayyappa went from a local forest deity to Kerala’s most controversial God,” authored by Anirudh Kanisetti. The headline alone frames Lord Ayyappa — revered by millions as the celibate warrior deity Dharmasastha, Hariharasuthan (son of Hari and Hara, i.e., Vishnu and Shiva), and the epitome of dharma and ascetic discipline — as inherently “controversial.”

It is a loaded Leftist framing that reduces a deeply sacred figure in the Hindu pantheon to a subject of modern political contention, made intentionally/unintentionally to delegitimize Hindu traditions.

Anirudh Kanisetti’s article in The Print misrepresents Lord Ayyappa (Dharmasastha/Hariharasuta) as evolving from a post-3rd century CE “local forest hunter deity” of Western Ghats peasants into a “controversial” celibate figure via 19th-century Brahminical legends like the Bhuta-natho-Pakhyanam, implying the restriction of menstruating-age women was a late exclusionary overlay……..”

Read full article at thecommunemag.com