Sabarimala: As many as 10.35 lakh pilgrims visited the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple till Friday during this Mandala season. Travancore Devaswom Board president K Ananda Gopan said that the board so far received Rs 78.92 crore as total revenue from the temple.
During 2019 season, before the COVID spread, the revenue was Rs 156 crore. But last time, the revenue dipped to an all time low of 8.39 crore as an offshoot of the strict COVID restrictions imposed on the visit of pilgrims to the temple. The increase in revenue was made possible this time after many COVID-related restrictions were eased for Sabarimala pilgrims.
The TDB received Rs 31.25 crore from "Aravana" sale, Rs 3.52 from "Appam" sales and Rs 29.30 crore from "Kanikka Samarpanam'. The revenue from the temple will further go up as the counting of a portion of money received from "Kanikka" offerings is still left.
Makaravilakku festival
The temple will be opened for Makaravilakku pilgrim festival on December 30 at 5 pm. Pilgrims will not be allowed on that day. But pilgrims will be allowed "darshan" from December 31 to January 19.
Erumely Petta Thullal will be held on January 11. Ambalapuzha Sangham will perform Petta Thullal in the morning and Alangadu team in the afternoon. On January 12, Thiruvabharana procession would begin from Pandalam. It will reach Sannidhanam on January 14 evening.
Makara Samkrama Pooja and Makara Jyothi Darshanam will be held on January 14 at 6.30 pm. The temple will be closed on January 20 at 7 am.
Plea to reopen Pullumedu route
He said the TDB had asked the State Government to reopen the Pullumedu trekking route for the Sabarimala pilgrims. If the route is not made fit for trekking, then it will be lost forever, he added.
There would be a meeting of high power committee in Thiruvananthapuram on January 5 to discuss ways to speed up the implementation of the Sabarimala Master Plan.
Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan would inaugurate on January 6 the work on a new pilgrim shelter centre to be set up in Erumely at a cost of Rs. 9 crore using KIIFB funds.