Kerala Health Minister Questions Sabarimala Aravana Shortage

Kerala Health Minister K Muralidharan has expressed concern over the shortage of Aravana prasadam at Sabarimala Sannidhanam, where the issue has reportedly caused protests among Ayyappa devotees. He also questioned the timing of renovation work at the prasadam production plant while the hill shrine remains open to pilgrims.

Speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, Muralidharan said the president of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) had explained that technical maintenance and renovation work was being carried out at the plant ahead of the upcoming pilgrimage season.

However, the minister questioned why the work was undertaken while devotees were visiting the shrine in large numbers. He said such maintenance is generally carried out when the temple is closed and argued that the timing had created concerns about preparations for the peak pilgrimage period.

The shortage of Aravana prasadam occurred during the renovation period. Muralidharan said the government was closely examining the situation and stressed that arrangements should ensure devotees do not face difficulties during the pilgrimage.

The minister acknowledged that the Travancore Devaswom Board is an autonomous statutory body and that the state government has limitations in taking direct action against it. According to him, legal intervention may be required in certain circumstances.

Muralidharan said the TDB president had assured him that the shortage caused by the renovation would not be repeated. However, he questioned whether the problem could have been anticipated and managed before the work began.

He also said that the responsibility for arrangements at Sabarimala would not rest solely with the Devaswom Board. If devotees face difficulties in obtaining darshan or essential facilities, the concerned minister and the state government would also face questions, he said.

The health minister added that he had discussed the timing of the renovation work with representatives of other organisations. According to him, they also indicated that such work is not normally carried out while the temple remains open to devotees.

The shortage has brought renewed attention to preparations at Sabarimala ahead of the busy Mandala pilgrimage season, when the shrine experiences a significant increase in the number of visitors. Authorities are now expected to focus on ensuring adequate prasadam supplies and preventing similar disruptions during the peak period.