Sabarimala limits sacred payasam sales as shortage sparks devotee anger and political heat

A sudden restriction on the sale of canned Aravana payasam at Sabarimala has ignited protests from devotees and left Kerala's Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government scrambling to contain the fallout.

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has limited counter sales to one tin per devotee, a move intended to check hoarding and black-marketing amid a growing shortage of the sacred offering. For a significant section of pilgrims who trek to the ancient hill shrine, the religious passage remains spiritually incomplete without carrying home the packaged offering to the presiding deity and distributing the tins among friends and family.

Renovation work triggers supply crisis

The TDB attributed the controversy to renovation and upgrade work at the Aravana production facility at Sannidhanam. TDB president K Jayakumar was not immediately available for comment.

Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan acknowledged the severity of the situation and held the TDB responsible for scaling down production, ostensibly for upgrading works at the production facility, precisely when the temple had opened for pre-Mandala season poojas. He pointed out that such works had not happened in the past when pilgrims flock to the temple and crowd Aravana counters in sizeable numbers for the sacrament.

Government promises accountability

"The Aravana scarcity has reflected poorly on the UDF government and also the office of the Devaswom Minister. The government will hold those responsible for the lack of oversight and failure to predict pilgrim footfall that has distressed thousands of devotees," Mr Muraleedharan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.

He revealed that he had spoken with the TDB president, who promised it would not happen again. The minister suggested the TDB could have avoided the situation by scheduling the repair works at the Aravana production unit when the temple remained closed to pilgrims.

Opposition attacks lack of planning

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) opposition has faulted the government for failing to stock an adequate amount of the tinned sacrament before scaling down Aravana production for repair works at the production facility.

The TDB reportedly told the government that the number of pilgrims visiting the temple in the run-up to the Mandala season had risen sharply and unexpectedly, compared to past years, dwindling Aravana buffer stocks considerably and forcing authorities to ration sales. Outrage erupted on social and conventional media after the sales restriction came into effect.

Source: The Hindu