TDB Chief Meets Devaswom Minister, Assures No Hurdles During Sabarimala Season

Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president K Jayakumar on Friday met Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan and assured him that arrangements would be completed to ensure a smooth Sabarimala pilgrimage season.

The meeting came amid concerns over the shortage of aravana payasam at the Lord Ayyappa shrine and delays in the TDB’s tendering process for procuring raw materials ahead of the annual pilgrimage.

Aravana payasam, a traditional temple offering prepared with red rice, jaggery and ghee, is among the major prasadam items at Sabarimala. Jayakumar had earlier attributed the shortage to an unexpected increase in the number of devotees and said the Board was taking steps to enhance production capacity.

The upcoming Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season will begin on November 16. Jayakumar met Muraleedharan at the latter’s office on Friday morning, with the meeting lasting more than 15 minutes. Speaking to reporters afterwards, the minister said the government and the TDB would work together to prevent difficulties for devotees.

“The Board and the government are working together. He has given an assurance that this season's pilgrimage will be made smoothly. Therefore, there is no scope for apprehension. We will move forward together,” Muraleedharan said. He said Chief Minister V D Satheesan had also spoken with Jayakumar and expressed confidence that coordination between the government and the Board would ensure smooth arrangements.

Asked whether recent developments had created a rift between the government and the TDB, Muraleedharan said concerns had naturally arisen because the government would be answerable if pilgrims faced difficulties. However, he said the Board had taken the initiative to address the concerns. Jayakumar has also agreed to submit a weekly report on the works being carried out at Sabarimala.

The TDB has said preparations for the pilgrimage season will be completed by October 31. Steps are also underway to increase the daily production capacity of aravana payasam and strengthen crowd management arrangements at Nilakkal.