Preparations for the upcoming Sabarimala pilgrimage season were reviewed on Friday as Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president K Jayakumar met Kerala Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan in Thiruvananthapuram.
The meeting focused on arrangements for the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, which is scheduled to begin on November 16. The TDB has assured the state government that necessary preparations will be completed in time to ensure a smooth pilgrimage for devotees visiting the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of concerns over the availability of aravana payasam, one of the most popular traditional offerings at the Sabarimala shrine. The issue had recently drawn the attention of the Devaswom minister, who had expressed displeasure over shortages of the prasadam and delays in the TDB's tendering process for procuring raw materials.
Aravana payasam is traditionally prepared using red rice, jaggery and ghee. It is an important prasadam at the Sabarimala temple and is sought by large numbers of devotees during the pilgrimage season.
TDB president Jayakumar had earlier said that the shortage was linked to an unexpected increase in the number of devotees. According to him, the Board has been working to increase production capacity so that adequate quantities of aravana payasam are available during the upcoming pilgrimage season.
After meeting the Devaswom minister on Friday morning, Jayakumar also assured the government about the progress of preparations. The meeting lasted for more than 15 minutes.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Muraleedharan said the government and the Travancore Devaswom Board would work together to prevent difficulties for pilgrims. He said the Board had assured him that the pilgrimage would be conducted smoothly this season.
The minister also said that concerns had emerged following recent developments because the government would ultimately be responsible for addressing any difficulties faced by devotees. However, he said the Board had taken steps to coordinate with the government and had agreed to provide regular updates on the work being carried out at Sabarimala.
According to Muraleedharan, the TDB president has agreed to directly submit a report every week on the progress of various works at the shrine and related pilgrimage facilities.
Jayakumar had also recently met Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan and briefed him about the preparations. The government and the TDB are now coordinating on infrastructure, crowd management and the availability of essential facilities ahead of the pilgrimage season.
The TDB has set October 31 as the deadline for completing the major preparations. Steps are also being taken to increase the daily production capacity of aravana payasam.
Authorities are additionally working to improve crowd management arrangements at Nilakkal, one of the key points through which pilgrims pass on their journey to Sabarimala.
With the pilgrimage season expected to attract large numbers of devotees, officials are focusing on completing arrangements before the November 16 opening. The coordination between the state government and the Travancore Devaswom Board is expected to continue through regular reviews as the season approaches.
Reader Comments 0