Authorities at the temple town's sanitation department say they have reported the issue of sardine oil to the fisheries department.
Devotees visiting Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple in Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram say they are facing hard time these days.
Layers of fish oil 'welcome' them at Agni Theertham, one of the sites for holy dip, at sea near the temple, they say.
Many complain the floating oil is unhygienic and nauseating.
Lakshmi and her family, who came from Coimbatore for performing "thavasam" a ritual for the dead says. "We don't feel like bathing here. Its oily, slippery and dirty. We are scared that children would get sick."
Authorities at the temple town's sanitation department say they have reported the issue to the fisheries department.
Officials in the fisheries department say the oil is from Sardine, a fish that is found in abundance during this season.
The fishing jetty is just around a mile away and the natural oil from the catch comes floating to the holy dip area, the devotees say.
A senior officer in the fisheries department said, "Its a seasonal problem. The oil that comes from the fish brought to the shore comes floating drifting due to currents. It's harmless. We are monitoring."
Recently, acting on public interest litigation, the Madras High Court had directed the authorities to clean up the temple town.