Record revenue collection at Sabarimala
The revenue collection at the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala has crossed an all-time record of ₹101 crore during the first 25 days of the ongoing annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrim season.
According to Travancore Devaswom Baord (TDB) sources, this is against the ₹85.96 crore revenue collection during the corresponding period in the previous year, posting an increase of ₹15 crore in the first 25 days itself. The total revenue collection as on Monday, is ₹101,08,80,925. The sale of Aravana and Appam alone has fetched revenue worth ₹44,72,61,580 and 7,90,41,165 respectively. The Hundi (Kaanicka) collection was ₹35,89,26,885, sources said.
Rush continues
The rush of devotees continued at Sabarimala on Tuesday too. Pilgrims trekking the Neelimala and Appachimedu hills leading to Sabarimala is a round-the-clock activity and ‘Swamiyei Saranam Ayyappa’ chants rent the entire of sannidhanam and Pampa. The pilgrims have to wait for a minimum of three to five hours inside the thickly packed barricades along the Marakkoottom-Saramkuthi-Sannidhanam path for the holy darshan.
The TDB as well as the Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sanghom volunteers have been supplying drinking water treated with herbs and biscuits to the weary pilgrims waiting inside the barricades. Children and senior citizens, especially elderly women, were found to be the worst affected pilgrims due to the long wait in the queue for darshan. Though the police and Central forces are at the service of the children and elderly pilgrims, they have to wait along with the group.
Rain pose problems
The rains in the forests have also been posing problems to the pilgrims, as the holy hillock do not have adequate shelters to protect them from the rain. The flyover leading to Malikappuram has been earmarked for the pilgrims to queue up for the Neyyabhishekom offering and the space beneath the flyover on the northern side of the Ayyappa temple complex has been cordoned off for the new ‘Bhandaram’ under construction, drastically reducing the roofed space for the pilgrims to protect themselves from the scorching sun and the rains. Sabarimala received heavy rain on Tuesday afternoon too.
KSRTC parking area
Meanwhile, District Collector and the District Magistrate R. Girija has directed the Forest department to facilitate vehicle parking on the 75 cents of forest land adjoining the KSRTC bus station at Pampa till 5 p.m. on January 22.
The Collector’s order was following the KSRTC authority’s request in this regard. The Forest department taking over the 75 cents of land, which has been used as KSRTC bus yard over the past three decades for ‘miscellaneous plantation,’ had kicked up a controversy when the pilgrims were put to hardship due to the parking of buses on either side of the Pampa-Chalakkatyam Road, leading to heavy traffic congestion on the road.
