SABARIMALA: Cows kept at Sabarimala sanniddhanam are living a dismaying life in deplorably suffocating atmosphere. Here, there are 25 bovines, which include 16 cows and nine bullocks; there are also six goats. All these are the ones gifted by devotees to Lord Ayyappa as their offerings, over the past many years.

Devasom board depends on these animals for milk that is used for poojas in the main temple and other small temples at Sannidhanam.

Goats are roaming around as they have no proper place to rest amidst cows, calves and bullocks.

Due to lack of space, cows are also tied in front of the room of the goshala caretaker. It is inside his room that sacks of cattle food are stored. The roofs of the cattle shed have worn out, and they leak during rains.

It was due to space constriction at Sannidhanam that two goshalas were built at Nilakkal and they are also over-crowded with bovines. Now, the only option is to expand the area of goshala. Now it is located in a small space between two buildings.

It is Kollam native Sunil Swami who is looking after the animals and arranging food for them. 22 litre milk is drawn from the cattle every day; they are milked morning and noon. 16 litre milk is used for temple pujas and the rest is used in the mess for chief priests and Devaswom board officials.

Kolkata native Anantha Samantha is the caretaker of the goshala. He wakes up at 1 am and milk the cows. At 3 in the morning the milk will be taken to Ayyappa temple and sub-temples. In the recent Devaprashnam, it was ordered that the Goshala’s location is not apt and it should be shifted. Following this, the Devaswom board entrusted the Public Works department with the job to relocate the goshala but the floods slowed down further procedures.

Meanwhile, Sabarimala Executive Officer Sudeesh Kumar has said that Goshala will be built at another place and for this, the Public Works department has been asked to find an ideal place.