No Onam feast, only 'pulav' for devotees at Sabarimala

On the auspicious day of Thiruvonam, pilgrims visiting the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple were left deeply disappointed as the traditional grand Onam feast, known as the Thiruvona Sadya, was restricted only to special duty staff and police officers. While the staff dined on the elaborate traditional feast at the Annadana Mandapam, thousands of devotees who had trekked to the hill shrine were served a simple dish of pulav.

The disruption of this 70-year-old tradition at the Sannidhanam has been blamed on severe administrative lapses by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). Although the board had previously announced that it would directly organise and fund the Thiruvona Sadya for pilgrims this year—aiming to eliminate external sponsorships and unauthorised fundraising—it failed to issue timely instructions or make the necessary financial arrangements with the mess contractors until the very last minute.

Typically, the TDB pays the mess operators ₹72 per head daily for three meals, with an additional ₹50 per head allocated for special feast days. However, due to the absolute lack of clear guidelines or official orders from the board, the caterers only prepared the special feast for the special duty staff and police personnel, leaving the visiting devotees out of the grand celebration.

The Thiruvona Sadya at Sabarimala carries a rich and emotional history. It was started seven decades ago by the late Chellappan Achari, a resident of Changanassery, as an offering of gratitude to Lord Ayyappa after he was blessed with children. He set aside a portion of his monthly income to fund the feast. Following his demise, his son Dr Manikandadas and grandson Dr Athuradas kept the tradition alive.

After the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the offering in 2020, Devaswom employees took over the responsibility of organising the feast for five years. Additional Onam feasts were also traditionally hosted by the chief priest (Melshanthi) on Uthradam, and by the police department on another day. This year, the TDB’s decision to take direct control of the feast to eliminate sponsorships and public collections backfired completely due to poor coordination and lack of foresight.

Meanwhile, the Sabarimala temple is scheduled to close at 10 pm on Friday, marking the conclusion of the special Onam rituals. Under the guidance of chief priest Thanthri Kandararu Brahmadathan, special rituals including Kalabhabhishekam and Padi Puja were performed on Thursday, drawing a large crowd of devotees. The Kalabhabhishekam ritual will be repeated on Friday before the shrine closes. Pilgrims will be permitted to trek from Pampa to the Sannidhanam only until 6 pm on Friday.