Sabarimala Temple opens for Thulam month pooja; Chief Minister V D Satheesan visits temple

PATHANAMTHITTA: The Sabarimala Temple has opened for the annual Thulam month poojas. The temple was opened at 5 pm by Melshanthi E.D. Prasad Namboothiri in the presence of Tantri Kandararu Brahmadathan. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan also reached the Sannidhanam. He entered the temple complex through the VIP gate.

Speaking at a review meeting held before his darshan, the Chief Minister said that the government aims to develop Sabarimala into the best pilgrimage centre in the country. He added that steps would be initiated after the current pilgrimage season to provide facilities for devotees on the lines of those available at Tirupati.

Review and coordination meetings involving various departments were held at the Sree Rama Saketham auditorium in Pamba to assess the arrangements and preparations for the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season.

The Chief Minister said that offerings and prasadam would remain under the control of the Travancore Devaswom Board. He added that the Devaswom Board president had assured him that there would be no shortage of appam and aravana prasadam this time. Police and fire force personnel will be deployed under the supervision of their respective heads to ensure the safety of devotees and facilitate smooth darshan.

A system will be put in place to prevent devotees from leaving clothes behind at Pamba and causing waste management problems. Facilities at pilgrim rest centres will also be improved. To reduce congestion at Pamba, a German-style shelter with a capacity to accommodate 6,000 people will be constructed at Nilakkal to manage the movement of devotees. As many as 22 medical emergency units will be made operational. Waste disposal will be carried out in a time-bound manner. The KSRTC has deployed 461 buses for Sabarimala pilgrims.

Temple connectivity will be ensured by linking various temples with Sabarimala. The Motor Vehicles Department will conduct inspections to strengthen road safety measures. The Public Works Department (PWD) is renovating the Chalakayam road at a cost of Rs 15 crore. The work will be completed at the earliest. Better medical facilities will also be arranged at hospitals to ensure quality treatment for pilgrims. The Chief Minister assured that all necessary arrangements would be made to ensure a smooth darshan for devotees during the pilgrimage season.