KOCHI: The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) on Monday informed the High Court that Pampa is the gateway to Sabarimala and therefore the most suitable venue to conduct the Global Ayyappa Sangamam. The submission was made in response to the court’s query on why the TDB had chosen Pampa as the event’s venue.
Adv G Biju, counsel for the TDB, said the programme is organised by TDB itself with the support of all government departments. The TDB alone is not in a position to conduct the pilgrimage. So every year it is carried out with the aid of all government departments. The same applies to the conduct of Ayyappa Sangamam. The counsel said that, out of the 1,250 temples managed by TDB, only 60 are self-sufficient, while the rest are managed using funds generated from Sabarimala.
The court on Monday directed the TDB and the state to file a counter-affidavit detailing the fund-raising process, the objectives of the programme, and the scale of the event.
The TDB informed the court that the proposed meet aims to propagate the principle of ‘Thatwamasi’ worldwide and to elevate Sabarimala temple as a global pilgrimage centre.