Thiruvananthapuram, TDB president K Jayakumar on Tuesday said he disagrees with the Keralam government’s contention that there are major problems at Sabarimala and said shortage of ‘aravana payasam’ resulted due to more than expected devotees turning up at the Lord Ayyappa shrine for darshan.
“I am not saying repairs should not be carried out. But adequate stock should have been maintained. They should have also planned for more devotees turning up ahead of the pilgrimage season to avoid the rush at that time. “So, the government cannot sit idle. He also termed as impractical Muraleedharan’s proposal to conduct the pilgrimage by appointing a special team, saying that it would make the situation more serious. Muraleedharan’s remarks had come in the wake of shortage of the ‘aravana payasam’ a sweet dish made from red rice, jaggery and ghee and a traditional temple ‘prasadam’ or sacred offering in the state, especially at the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Due to the lack of planning, many devotees had to go back without aravana and the government is being blamed for it. Earlier in the day, the TDB president also said that the preparations for the Mandalakala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, that will commence from November 17, are progressing smoothly and he does not see any issues regarding that.
For the last many days no positive news has been coming with regard to the shrine, so we are worried,” he told reporters. He further said that the government has no intention of interfering with the Board’s daily functions or their rights or dissolve it as it is a statutory body. At the same time, the minister said the government was not facing any issues with the other Boards. “The government will go to any extent if the pilgrimage season is not arranged properly,” he warned. He also rejected allegations that preparations for the pilgrimage season have slowed down and said that he does not wish to respond to the remarks of state Devaswom Minister Muraleedharan. He had said that the government cannot sit idle in the matter as it has certain responsibilities and was considering informing the Kerala High Court about its concerns regarding the shortage of the ‘prasadam’. He had also said that the discussions with the CM will also consider whether to appoint a special team, with the permission of the High Court, to conduct the Mandalakala-Makaravillakku pilgrimage. Meanwhile, former Devaswom Minister and CPI leader V N Vasavan said that the government should help the Board which has the independence to oversee the temple functions. He further said that instead of blaming each other, the government and the Board should work together to make the pilgrimage season enjoyable and comfortable for devotees. The minister had said that the shortage occurred as the manufacturing plant was being renovated and stated that it ought to have been done when the temple was closed.
There have been some problems earlier also at the temple.
Government to Address ‘Aravana Payasam’ Shortage at Sabarimala Shrine
Muraleedharan has publicly criticized the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) for the recent shortage of ‘aravana payasam’ available to devotees at the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala. He stated that discussions will take place with Chief Minister V D Satheesan to determine appropriate actions regarding the issue.
“The problem ended on Monday as the temple has closed down. “There were no means to quickly prepare the aravana as the plant is under repairs to increase its production capabilities ahead of the pilgrimage season. As a result, our planning went wrong.
The shortage was for two days as around 50,000 devotees came instead of the 30,000 we had expected. We need to increase its production capacity from the existing 2.5 lakh tins to 3.5 lakh,” Jayakumar told a TV channel. He said that the repairs are halfway done and will be finished by October 10.
The Travancore Devaswom Board president said that the planning “went wrong” as the number of devotees exceeded the expected numbers. On this issue, state Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan said that the Board ought to have ensured adequate stock of the ‘aravana’ before shutting down the plant for repairs.
