TDB chief meets Devaswom Minister, details arrangements for Sabarimala pilgrimage

Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president K. Jayakumar on Friday met Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan at his office and briefed him on the preparations for the forthcoming Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage at Sabarimala, signalling an effort to bring the government and the Board on the same page, after weeks of differences over arrangements at the Ayyappa temple.

The meeting, which lasted for over 15 minutes, assumes significance as the Minister had been quite vocal in his criticism of the TDB over the alleged delays in preparations for the pilgrimage and especially over the complaints about the shortage of Aravana prasadam.

The ice between the two seemed to have thawed, for Mr. Muraleedharan, who met reporters after the meeting, said that the TDB and the government would work together to ensure that the Sabarimala pilgrimage is a smooth affair this year and that the devotees would have no cause for complaint.