Sabarimala: With just 53 days left for the Mandala pilgrimage season, preparations at Sabarimala have been hit by significant delays, with the Travancore Devaswom Board yet to finalise contracts for procuring even essential materials needed to prepare and distribute prasadam such as Aravana and Appam.

In previous years, the tender process for procuring materials such as jaggery, rice, dry ginger powder and cumin for Aravana preparation would begin as early as May. This year, however, the process began only on August 6.

Sabarimala requires around 5 million kg of jaggery for the preparation of Aravana. Contractors have quoted a price that is ₹7.51 higher per kg than last year's rate. The Board will have to hold negotiations to bring down the price before finalising the contract.

The Vigilance SP must also inspect the contractor's facilities and submit a report on whether the company has the capacity to handle the large order before the contract can be signed. This process is also expected to take additional time.

Contracts have also not been finalised for the containers and flip lids required for packing Aravana. The flip lids are imported, and procuring them after placing the order could take several months.

The Board currently has a reserve stock of only 40 lakh containers and one crore flip lids.

Meanwhile, several other revenue-generating arrangements for the pilgrimage season are also facing delays. The Devaswom Board earns a significant portion of its revenue through auctions for coconut collection, shops and hotels at Sabarimala.

Such auctions are normally initiated in July. This year, however, auctions have been conducted only for some of these facilities.

Government weighs special mechanism
The government has begun considering a special mechanism to manage the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage at Sabarimala instead of relying solely on the Travancore Devaswom Board, but a decision is likely to take time.

Further steps will be taken after seeking legal advice, while the Kerala High Court's position is also expected to be crucial.

The government was dissatisfied with the situation during the Kannimasa pooja when appam and aravana were unavailable at Sabarimala. Following this, Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan had said he would discuss with Chief Minister V D Satheesan the possibility of entrusting a special team with the management of the pilgrimage season.

The government will consider the Travancore Devaswom Board's statutory powers and autonomous status before proceeding. Legal opinions from the Advocate General and the Law Department are therefore expected to be sought.

A proposal to establish a Sabarimala Development Authority had been announced during the previous government's tenure. However, the UDF government did not proceed with the proposal.

The immediate focus of the Devaswom Department is on creating a special administrative and coordination mechanism to ensure that there are no lapses in managing the pilgrimage, officials said.

Muraleedharan reiterated that the Travancore Devaswom Board had failed in handling the aravana crisis at Sabarimala. However, he clarified that the government does not intend to interfere in the board's day-to-day functioning or its powers, nor does it plan to dissolve the board.
“We cannot sit back and do nothing after seeing the lapses at Sabarimala. Based on our experience so far, the government has serious concerns,” Muraleedharan said.