Darshan time extended at Sabarimala temple

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has extended the darshan time at Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala from Saturday in view of the increase in the number of pilgrims visiting the hillock .

In a statement here on Friday, Sabarimala Devaswom Executive Officer K. Sankaranarayana Pillai said that as per the revised schedule, the temple would be opened at 3 a.m. from Saturday and close after Utchapuja at 1.30 p.m.

The temple would reopen at 3 p.m. and close after Athazhapuja at 11.30 p.m., the statement said.

Crowd control

Special Correspondent writes from Thiruvananthapuram:

The State government will set up a system at Nilackal for regulating the flow of pilgrims to witness Makaravilakku, Devaswom Minister V.S. Sivakumar has said.

Briefing presspersons about the decision of a high-level meeting held at the behest of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy here on Thursday for reviewing the arrangements for crowd control in Sabarimala during Makaravilakku, Mr. Sivakumar said the Travancore Devaswom Board would provide light refreshments to the pilgrims who had to wait at Nilackal for moving to the Sannidhanam. Pilgrims from Nilackal would be permitted to the Sannidhanam only when the crowd became manageable there and at Pampa.

He said the police would be posted at Pampa under the leadership of an Inspector General of Police. A team headed by a Superintendent of Police would be posted at Nilackal and if needed, another team would be posted at Plappally.

The Hindu : NATIONAL / KERALA : Better facilities at Nilackal soon: TDB president

The Hindu : NATIONAL / KERALA : Better facilities at Nilackal soon: TDB president

Better facilities at Nilackal soon: TDB president

STAFF REPORTER

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3 States to set up centres

Appropriate projects will be incorporated in the Sabarimala Master Plan to provide better basic facilities at the Nilackal base camp to the pilgrims coming from neighbouring States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, M.P. Govindan Nair, Travancore Devaswom Board president, has said.

According to the TDB chief, Nilackal base camp is a place where pilgrims coming from outside Kerala spend a long time during their annual pilgrimage to Sabarimala and the board is bound to provide maximum possible pilgrim amenities there in a time-bound manner. All the three south Indian States are keen on extending active cooperation in the implementation of various pilgrim amenity projects at Nilackal, Mr. Nair says.

The State government has agreed to provide five acres of land each at Nilackal to all the three south Indian States for setting up their pilgrim amenity centres.

The Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister will be laying the foundation stone of the proposed Karnataka Bhavan at Nilackal during the Makaravilakku festival and the project will be completed before the next pilgrim season, the TDB chief says.

The Hindu : NATIONAL / KERALA : Sabarimala witnesses heavy rush

The Hindu : NATIONAL / KERALA : Sabarimala witnesses heavy rush

Sabarimala witnesses heavy rush

RADHAKRISHNAN KUTTOOR

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RAF, NDRF deployed for crowd control

Long wait:Pilgrims being blocked by the police at Pampa to regulate crowd on Monday afternoon.– Photo: Leju Kamal

With hardly 36 hours left for the Mandalapuja, the sacred grove of Sabarimala has been witnessing heavy rush, forcing the police to block the flow of pilgrims periodically to the Sannidhanam from Pampa from Sunday night.

The throng of pilgrims turned so heavy that the space between the U-turn on the Saramkuthi path and the Valiyanadappanthal has been witnessing a near-stampede from Monday afternoon. The Rapid Action Force (RAF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been controlling the crowd along this highly risky and difficult stretch to avert any untoward situation.

The vehicular traffic on the main trunk road leading to Pampa too has gone up beyond estimation and the police had to block the Pampa-bound vehicles at definite intervals at Plappally and Nilackal. Almost all the parking lots at the main base camp at Nilackal have turned full and the pilgrims were left with little option but to park their vehicles on the wayside.

The police had a tough time in regulating the vehicular traffic as well as the pilgrim flow to the holy hillock on Monday.

Pilgrims had to wait for hours together inside the crowded zigzag barricades to reach the Sannidhanam. Pilgrims who have undertaken the pilgrimage on Monday told The Hindu that it took 15 to 16 hours for them to reach the Ayyappa temple premises owing to the slow pace of movement along the trekking path, especially between Sabaripeedhom and the Sannidhanam.

Travancore Devaswom Board president M.P. Govindan Nair and the Special Commissioner appointed by the Kerala High Court K. Babu, are camping at the Sannidhanam.

Devaswom Minister V.S. Sivakumar; chief coordinator K. Jayakumar, TDB member Subhash Vasu, and Devaswom Commissioner N. Vasu will reach the Sannidhanam on Tuesday.

Mandalapuja

The ceremonial procession carrying Thanka Anki, golden attire of the presiding deity, will reach Pampa on Tuesday forenoon. The holy attire will be taken from Pampa to the Sannidhanam by the Ayyappa Seva Sanghom volunteers on their head and the deity will be decorated with it prior to the Deeparadhana.

The Mandalapuja will be held between 12.15 p.m. and 12.30 p.m. on Wednesday. The deity will be adorned with the Thanka Anki prior to the Mandalapuja.

A Kalabhabhishekom will also be performed to the deity prior to the Utchapuja. The temple will be closed after the Athazhapuja on Wednesday, marking the culmination of the Mandalapuja, and will reopen for the Makaravilakku festival on December 30.

Meanwhile, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has deployed 160 buses for conducting chain service between Pampa and Nilackal on Sunday and Monday, according to official sources.

The Hindu : NATIONAL / KERALA : Stampede averted at Sabarimala

The Hindu : NATIONAL / KERALA : Stampede averted at Sabarimala

Police barricade breaks in the surge of pilgrims

Difficult trek:Pilgrims moving to Lower Tirumuttom from Valiyanadappanthal at Sabarimala on Monday night.– Photo: Leju Kamal

A stampede was averted at Sabarimala with much effort around 9.40 p.m. on Monday as a police barricade gave in the surge of pilgrims entering Lower Tirumuttom from Valiyanadappanthal.

The Rapid Action Force, the National Disaster Response Force and the police, along with the Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sanghom and the Devaswom staff, pulled together to avert a tragedy. A few pilgrims were injured.

The rush of pilgrims who reached the Sannidhanam from the northern side of Lower Tirumuttom, crossing the Bailey Bridge, became uncontrollable and after 15 anxious minutes, the Central forces could restore order.

With the countdown for Mandalapuja on, the rush became so heavy that the police have been blocking the flow of pilgrims from Pampa periodically from Sunday night. The space between the U-turn on the Saramkuthi path and Valiyanadappanthal has turned a danger spot since Monday afternoon. The Rapid Action Force and the National Disaster Response Force have been controlling the crowd along this risky and difficult stretch.

Vehicular traffic on the main trunk road leading to Pampa has gone up beyond imagination and the police had to block the vehicles at definite intervals at Plappally and Nilackal.

Almost all the parking lots at the main base camp at Nilackal are full and the pilgrims are parking their vehicles on the wayside.

Long wait

Pilgrims had to wait for hours together inside the crowded zigzag barricades to reach the Sannidhanam. Many pilgrims told The Hindu that it had taken 15-16 hours for them to reach the Ayyappa temple

. They could move only at a slow pace on the trekking path, especially between Sabaripeedhom and the Sannidhanam.

M.P. Govindan Nair, President, Travancore Devaswom Board , and K. Babu, Special Commissioner appointed by Kerala High Court, are camping at the Sannidhanam.

Devaswom Minister V.S. Sivakumar and Chief Co-ordinator K. Jayakumar will reach the Sannidhanam on Tuesday.

Mandalapuja

The ceremonial procession carrying Thanka Anki (golden attire) of the presiding deity will reach Pampa on Tuesday forenoon and from there to the Sannidhanam later in the afternoon.

The idol will be decorated with it prior to Deeparadhana. Mandalapuja will be held at 12.30 p.m. on Wednesday. The idol will be adorned with the attire prior to Mandalapuja.

The temple will be closed after Athazhapuja on Wednesday, marking the culmination of Mandalapuja, and will reopen for the Makaravilakku festival on December 30.

SABARIMALA AYYAPPA SEVA SAMAJAM "ANNADHANAM"

Annadanam is supreme and incomparable to any Charity.

"Om Anna Pūrne Sadāpūrne Sankara Prāna Vallabhe Jñāna Vairāgya Siddhartham Bikshām Dehī ca Pārvatī

Annadanam Samam Danam Trilokeshu Na Vidhathe"

These are the verses from the Vedas, meaning Annadanam is supreme and incomparable to any Charity.Food is the basic requirement for all humans. Thus according to Vedas, the one who does annadanam to devotees attains heaven(Punya Loka) in this Universe (Brahmanda) itself. In this whole universe, the creation and its progression depend on food. Hence giving food to the devotees is more than attaining heaven.

Food is the basic requirement for all humans. Thus according to Vedas, the one who does annadanam to devotees attains heaven(Punya Loka) in this Universe (Brahmanda) itself. In this whole universe, the creation and its progression depend on food. Hence giving food to the devotees is more than attaining heaven.So we invite  your kind attention for helping us for providing food(Annadanam) and other help for Ayyappas.


We kindly request you to do all possible help and assistance by offering food materials or cash for this noble and genuine services.

SWAMI SARANAM