Thiruvananthapuram: The CPM-led LDF government's move to develop the forlorn Mangala Devi Kannagi shrine within the Periyar Tiger Reserve, and perched on the ridge that separates Kerala and Tamil Nadu, into a full-fledged temple has met with stiff opposition from the forest department.
The department's representative insisted that his dissent be recorded in the minutes of the high-level meeting called by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to discuss the issue. The department is concerned that a flourishing temple will put immense stress on the PTR ecology. There are also fears that Kerala's arbitrary move could unnecessarily provoke Tamil Nadu because the temple is now under the joint control of both the states. The annual one-day pilgrimage is traditionally overseen by the collectors of Idukki and Theni, and, inside the temple, separate rituals are held in Malayalam and Tamil.
As it stands, the temple is open to devotees just once a year, on Chithrapournami day. This year it was on May 1, and 17,000 devotees from Tamil Nadu and Kerala had made the pilgrimage. Most devotees go up the hill to the shrine the way Ayyappa devotees reach Sabarimala, they take the arduous 14-kilometre trek from Kumily. Others use any of the 500-odd jeeps that operate on the day. Over 80 per cent of the devotees are Tamil. The arrangements for the pilgrimage are jointly supervised by the Idukki and Theni collectors.
The Devaswom Board had long nursed the plan to upgrade Mangala Devi Temple. Former Devaswom Board president Prayar Gopalakrishnan had said that he wanted Mangala Devi Temple to be the Sabrimala for women; the temple is devoted to Kannagi, the vengeful heroine of the Tamil epic 'Silappathikaram' whose fury had burnt Madurai town to ashes. The incumbent president, A Padmakumar, though he has not made the 'women's Sabarimala' pitch, has been aggressive about taking over the temple. He has also managed to get the backing of the chief minister.
Reason why he is peeved that the forest department is now standing in the way. “The PCCF (principal chief conservator of forests) was there when the issue was discussed in the presence of the chief minister,” Padmakumar said. “We have not asked for more land, or for any other changes. We just want regular pujas to be conducted. At least once a month, and also for special occasions like 'Navaratri' and 'Sivaratri',” he added.
Silpa V Kumar, the deputy director of Periyar (east), under whose jurisdiction the temple falls, said that increasing the frequency of 'pujas' would hurt the ecology. “We already know what the Sabarimala pilgrimage is doing to the tiger reserve,” Silpa said. “Consider this one-day Mangala Devi pilgrimage. It takes nearly a month to sanitise the forest after the pilgrims have dispersed,” she added. The deputy director said the area could also prove a nightmare in terms of disaster management. “The terrain is precariously narrow and bumpy, and it slopes dangerously on either sides,” she said.
Further, she said the timetable of the temple cannot be changed just like that. “At the moment, even the one-day pilgrimage is carried out according to the guidelines laid down in the tiger conservation plan drawn up by the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Even a slight change will require the concurrence of the Centre,” the deputy director said.
The Devaswom Board president, however, seems irritated by what he calls the department's “sanctimony”. “If they were so hell-bent on protecting the forests, how come the mountains along the trekking path to the temple acquired a bald look,” he asked.
Padmakumar also rubbishes the Tamil Nadu factor. “Tamil Nadu has never laid claim to the temple. The pujas are conducted by the pujari of Valliyamkavu, and the tanthri is from the Suryakaladi Mana,” he said. Though Padmakumar disagrees, it has been a longstanding tradition to have rituals conducted separately in Malayalam and Tamil, using priests from both sides of the border.
