PATHANAMTHITTA: As postal codes go, 689713 extends beyond the mundane — to the divine.
In India, only two individuals have dedicated pin codes —the President and Lord Ayyappa. This distinction alone places the Sannidhanam post office in a league of its own. But its significance doesn’t end there.
Established in 1963, the post office at Sabarimala opens only for three months a year, exclusively during the annual pilgrimage season. Its postmark is treasured by devotees and philatelists alike. The seal featuring Ayyappa seated above the 18 sacred steps makes every envelope stamped here a spiritual keepsake.
This season too, the post office has been witnessing heavy footfall. Hundreds queue up daily just to send a letter bearing the revered seal. For many, it is a way of sending the experience of darshan back home -- a postcard to their own address to preserve the memory. Others write to relatives and friends, conveying blessings from the shrine and wishing divine grace upon them.
To meet growing demand, the post office introduced advanced postal technology (APT), a digital initiative of India Post, this year, enabling it to offer most of the services available at any operational post office in the country. The facility is a boon not only for devotees but also for thousands of staff on duty. Additionally, prasadam from Sabarimala can now be booked from any post office in India, expanding the spiritual network far beyond Kerala’s borders.
Since the start of the pilgrimage season, nearly 6,000 postcards have been dispatched, says postmaster Shibu V Nair. “Devotees from every corner of the country come here to send letters. Some are regulars who write every year, while many are first-timers,” he adds. The post office is run by a compact team including the postmaster, one postman, and two multi-tasking staff.
Vishnu — Ayyappa’s own postman
Among the unique features of the Sannidhanam post office is its postman. For the past three years, G Vishnu, who hails from Adoor, Pathanamthitta, has been serving as “Ayyappa’s own postman” — a role no other employee has held continuously for this long.
Sabarimala was Vishnu’s very first posting, and he has chosen to remain here out of devotion. “No one has been on this duty for three straight seasons. I continue here purely out of personal faith,” Vishnu says with a smile, adding that he is ready to serve at the hill shrine as long as he get opportunity.
The emotional weight of the letters he receives is immense. Devotees send first wedding invitation cards to Ayyappa as a mark of gratitude. Some write letters of sorrow and personal struggles, addressing them to the Lord. Many send money orders from small amounts to large expressing their offerings through the postal channel.