Tardy preparations for Sabarimala pilgrimage season spark growing chorus of protests

With only less than two months left for the the Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season at Sabarimala, cracks are beginning to show in the preparations, with the recent Aravana shortage putting the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) on the defensive and political parties and devotees’ organisations stepping up their criticism.

The episode has also put the spotlight on the pace of work on the Aravana production plant, procurement of raw materials, and arrangement of facilities for devotees. Doubts are also raised whether the board will be able to build an adequate buffer stock of aravana before the peak pilgrimage rush.