Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development of Northeast Region, G. Kishan Reddy on Saturday wrote to Kerala seeking steps to address the issues and inconveniences being faced by the Ayyappa devotees during their pilgrimage to Sabarimala. In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Mr. Reddy requested the State to deploy adequate staff and personnel, ensure safe and secure passage for the devotees, along with improved basic amenities and medical assistance during their journey to Sabarimala.
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The Sabarimala temple and the associated 40-day spiritual journey undertaken by the devotees of Lord Ayyappa is considered to be one of the most revered belief systems within the Hindu faith. Among the close to one crore devotees who visit the hill shrine during the mandala season between November and January, the pilgrims from Telangana, where he hails from, and Andhra Pradesh alone account for more than 15 lakh, he said in the letter.
Inconveniences, long wait
The reports of severe inconveniences being faced by devotees, including the long wait at the Sannidhanam and the recent death of a young girl while waiting to avail of darshan, also caused much anguish and pain. Against this backdrop, adequate personnel and staff should be deployed to ensure that the waiting time for devotees is significantly reduced. Also, basic amenities such as food, water, access to hygienic sanitation facilities, and medical assistance should be provided to the devotees on their journey to Sabarimala, said the Minister.
Extending the support from the Centre to provide a safe and secure passage for devotees without any inconveniences, the Union Minister requested the State to consider permitting NGOs that are ready to provide assistance to operate on the temple premises and around the trekking path from Pampa to Sannidhanam.
