Foreigner row at Sabarimala

A foreign delegation managed to enter Ponnamabalamedu, a sacred forest area at the hill shrine of Sabarimala that is out of bounds for pilgrims. The group is said to have done a special pooja there.

State Forest Minister Binoy Viswom has sought a report from the chief conservator of forests. Armed with a letter from the Union forest ministry, the foreigners entered the area on February 15. Each year a “miracle light” appears at Ponnamabalamedu at the end of the pilgrim season that devotees come to see.