Sabarimala Aravana plant work expedited ahead of Thulam poojas

PATHANAMTHITTA: Work on the Aravana plant at Sabarimala is expected to be completed within two days, with efforts underway to make 26 Aravana preparation pans, six cooling chambers and six boilers operational before the Thulam month poojas. The plant will be sanitised thereafter before Aravana production begins. All the pans at the plant had been dismantled after the Chingam month poojas. However, an adequate reserve stock of Aravana had not been prepared, resulting in a shortage during the Kannimasa poojas.

The Travancore Devaswom Board has assured that 75 lakh tins of Aravana will be produced as reserve stock before the Mandala season. Though the Board had announced plans to increase the plant's capacity by adding six preparation pans, two cooling chambers and one boiler, work on these additions has not yet begun. The Board estimates that the plant's capacity can be raised to 3.60 lakh tins of Aravana a day. Once the temple opens for the Thulam month poojas, work to enhance the plant's capacity will be completed without stopping Aravana production.

Following allegations of irregularities in the purchase of ghee during the last pilgrimage season, Aravana will be prepared this year using only the ghee offered by devotees at Sannidhanam. Ten litres of ghee are required to prepare one batch of Aravana. Producing 75 lakh tins would therefore require at least 75,000 litres of ghee. There are doubts, however, over whether Sannidhanam has such a quantity of ghee in reserve.