SABARIMALA: Even though nod was granted for darshan at Sabarimala after ‘Thulamasa pooja’, Travancore Devaswom Board faces huge financial loss due to the low footfall of pilgrims in the shrine. Devaswom board authorities now think that limiting the number of pilgrims to 250 per day should be increased. If at least 1,000 persons are allowed through the virtual queue, the loss could have been averted. Only a negligible amount is received through Kanikka. Now ‘Udayastamaya pooja’ and ‘Padi pooja,’ are the only source of income. Sale of ‘aravana prasadam’ is also very low.

Apart from hundreds of devaswom board staff, 120 health workers and 100 police personnel are deployed for duty in Sabarimala. The board have to spend a huge amount even for arranging food for the government’s staff deployed in the shrine and nearby areas. The income received now is not enough to meet even the day-to-day expenditure. Government and Devaswom board has decided to allow pilgrims into the shrine after a gap of seven months. Even though 250 persons are allowed to the shrine nowadays only 200 persons are visiting the shrine.

Now authorities hold the view that even if 1,000 pilgrims are allowed to visit the shrine per day, facilities are available to manage them as per the covid protocol. Now they are even thinking to allow 1,000 pilgrims during the Mandala Makavilakui season from Monday to Friday, 2,000 in weekends and 5,000 persons during the offseason days.

Travancore Devaswom Board president N Vasu said, “The nod for darshan was granted not considering the income received from pilgrim footfall. This is just a trial to restart the pilgrimage which was stopped for about seven months. The board will definitely try to admit more pilgrims during the Mandala Makaravilaku season.”