Only three auctioned out of 160 stalls in Sabarimala, devaswom board reeling under financial stress, loss mounts to Rs 350 crore

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) which regulates 1,200 temples in the state, is going through its worst financial crisis since its inception in 1950. The bar on devotees on state’s temples due to the covid 19 induced lockdown has further spiked the mounting loss faced by TDB. Even though temples were opened as part of the unlocking phase, still income from the temples has not increased to cover the loss. The inflow of devotees to various temples in the state is still very low due to existing covid 19 protocol, combined with this a huge deficit is currently being witnessed for temple customs such as ‘Vazhipadu.’

Revenue deficit in Sabarimala

The board is facing huge loss due to the ongoing covid 19 regulations in Sabarimala. The board is able to meet the expense incurred on various small temples under TDB out of the revenue from Sabarimala. The salary and other emoluments of TDB staff are paid out of the huge yearly revenue received from Sabarimala. But this season, the ongoing covid 19 protocol and the low turnout in the auction of various stalls in Sabarimala have been a severe setback for TDB.

As of now, out of 160 stalls, only three persons have turned up. Following this, the TDB has decided to sell the remaining stalls through open auction proceedings. In the past few years, TDB was able to amass crores just through the auction proceedings. The board has decided to reduce construction works in various temples across the state due to the steep fall in revenue.