Negligence by Devaswom authorities in Sabarimala; currency notes worth lakhs offered as ‘kanikka’ damaged

SABARIMALA: Currency notes worth lakhs of rupees received as ‘kanikka’ offerings during Sabarimala pilgrimage season has been damaged. The notes were offered as kanikka by the pilgrims. They were damaged as they were not counted and collected on time. Kannikka offering is prepared using coins or notes along with betel leaf and nut and they are tied together in a cloth. This cloth bundle will be deposited in the vaults in the sopanam and various parts of the sannidhanam.

Earlier small amounts were kept in the irumudi kettu. But now pilgrims from other states offers large sum of money as kanikka. The Devaswom officals didn’t collect or count the money received on time instead it remained in the bhandaram itself. As days passed, the betel leaf and nuts decayed and stained the notes. As a result, the notes were damaged. There was shortage of staff to collect the kanikka. Devaswom vigilance did not even notice that the notes were getting destroyed. This matter came to notice after Devaswom executive officer reached bhandaram after mandala pooja. Devaswom authorities have not commented on the incident.