Pampa, the most popular starting point of the trek to the renowned Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala, located in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, is all set to host the Global Ayyappa Bhaktha Sangamam on Saturday. As the event attracts much attention, including criticism from various quarters, the state’s Minister for Devaswoms, VN Vasavan, explains the purpose and goals of it.

What is the aim of the Ayyappa Bhaktha Sangamam?
The programme will be a platform to discuss issues such as the infrastructural development of Sabarimala and receive suggestions in this regard. The deliberations will take place in three sessions.

The topic of the first session will be the Sabarimala master plan, infrastructural development and other welfare activities.

The second session will deal with the prospects of converting Sabarimala into an international pilgrimage centre and setting up a spiritual tourism circuit. Exploring measures to reduce crowding at Sabarimala will be the topic of discussion at the third session.

While not all participants will get the chance to speak, they can write their suggestions in reply to a questionnaire to be distributed at the event. The responses will be codified and presented at the end of the conference. A committee will be constituted to identify practical suggestions. Representatives of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the government and experts will be members of the committee. Efforts will also be made to include office-bearers of major organisations.

We welcome partners and investors who wish to contribute to the implementation of the development projects identified at the event.

Does the Sangamam offer any scope for discussions on matters of faith, particularly the controversies over the entry of young women to the Sabarimala temple?

The agenda of the meeting comprises only the three topics which I already mentioned.

What was the criterion for selecting the delegates of the Sangamam?
The devotees who regularly visited the temple through online booking were informed about the plan to conduct the event. Subsequently, over 5,000 such pilgrims registered and, among them, we selected 3,000 devotees who had made the most visits to the shrine, on a first-come, first-served basis.

There will be delegates from all states. Additionally, registrations from 35 other countries were received, and devotees from 20 countries have confirmed their participation. There are also 500 invitees to the Sangamam, including representatives of various organisations.

What is the budget of the event?
TDB is estimating an expenditure of ₹7–8 crore, which would be met by contributions from sponsors. Neither the government nor TDB will spend. There is no extravagance.

The Opposition has accused the LDF government of organising the event with a political motive and as an act of atonement for its past actions related to the Sabarimala temple, including the entry of women in the age group of 10 to 50 years. What is your response?
The Opposition unnecessarily finds a political angle in every issue. In fact, the government had asked TDB to make the Opposition Leader one of the patrons of the Sangamam. Incidentally, we have not invited representatives of any political party. Instead, people’s representatives and ministers who have a crucial role to play in development have been invited. We still wish for the Opposition to attend the event.

The community organisations and others have demanded the withdrawal of the cases registered following the protests against the entry of young women to Sabarimala. What is your position?
These organisations never raised this issue with us when we invited them to the Sangamam. At that time, they were specifically informed about the topics of discussion. All other issues will be discussed with the government. TDB cannot give an assurance on the cases.