Kerala HC holds special sitting over Sabarimala rush
The development comes after a few pilgrims and policemen were injured in Marakootam about 1km from the Sannidhanam (temple complex) on Saturday. The high court also directed the temple board and Pathnamthitta district collector to suggest ways to control the rush.
The Kerala high court held an emergency sitting on Sunday in connection with the management of the heavy rush at the Sabarimala temple in Pathanamthitta district.
The development comes after a few pilgrims and policemen were injured in Marakootam about 1km from the Sannidhanam (temple complex) on Saturday. The high court also directed the temple board and Pathnamthitta district collector to suggest ways to control the rush.
The court also sought a report from the Devasom commissioner about the minor stampede in Marakootam on Saturday. After the HC directive, the temple board extended the “darshan” timings to one more hour and decided to limit the virtual queue booking to 80,000 pilgrims a day. There is a separate bench for Sabarimala that monitors the developments at the shrine regularly.
On Saturday, 1.20 lakh pilgrims had trekked to the temple and the police later had to suspend the spot booking in view of the rush, a temple official said. “The shrine has been witnessing unprecedented rush for last few days,” the official said. Some of the pilgrims said that they had to stand for more than 10 hours in queue to reach the 18 holy steps that lead to the sanctum sanctorum.
“After the court directive, we have sought the ‘tantri’s (head priest) advice and extended the pilgrimage by an hour to have a hassle free darshan. Due to the upcoming holidays, we are expecting huge rush and we will take all the precautions accordingly,” said Travancore Dewasom Board (TDB) president K Ananthagopan.
The TDB manages day to day affairs of the temple while the tantri is the last word in temple customs. Virtual queue registration is mandatory for all pilgrims and those who arrive without can do on the spot booking.
The TDB chief also said that the revenue of the temple has gone up exponentially. “The gross revenue of the temple has crossed ₹125 crore so far. As usual, the main revenue is from the sale of aravana payasam (main prasad) of the temple,” said Ananthagopan. Aravana payasam, a black kheer made of rice, jaggery, ghee and cardamom, forms 60% revenue of the temple, according to the temple authorities. Usually the temple produces 50,000 to 75,000 cans a day and also keeps enough buffer stock.
Last week, the HC had directed the TDB to ensure that “no pilgrims get preferential treatment” and said “all the pilgrims to the temple were equal”. It was hearing a petition against some advertisements offering helicopter service and VIP darshan at the temple.
In another development, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has also called a meeting on Monday to take stock of the situation.
Know more about the shrine
The hill-top shrine is situated in a forest in Western Ghats mountain ranges in Pathanamthitta district, about 3000 feet above sea level. Pilgrims from across the country visit the shrine during the annual festival season, between November and January. According to the TDB, around 3 crore pilgrims visit the temple during this season. Besides Kerala, pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra swarm the temple.
For pilgrimage to Sabarimala, a visitor has to undertake 41 days’ fast abstaining from all worldly pleasures and dons black clothes before undertaking the trek through the forests (from base camp Pampa to hilltop shrine, which is 5.5km). At the top of the temple it is written prominently “tat va masi” (a Sanskrit phrase meaning “you are that or that you are”). This mantra, attributed to 8th century Hindu reformer Adi Shankara ,highlights the principle that all living beings are intimately connected to universal energy and cannot be separated from it.
According to a legend in Sabarimala, each of the 18 steps signifies a message. Pilgrims who do not carry their offerings to deity in a bundle on head (irumudi kettu) cannot. The temple witnessed unrest in 2018 after the Supreme Court opened its doors for women of all ages as previously according to temple customs women of procreating age are not permitted as the deity is in the form of a “nitya brahmachari” (eternal bachelor).
Legend says that Lord Ayyappa, son of Lord Vishnu and Shiva, meditated in Sabarimala hills after killing the powerful demon Mahishi. Later a temple was built in his memory by the king of Pandalam in whose court Lord Ayyappa grew up .