PATHANAMTHITTA: With the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) facing pressure to ensure an uninterrupted supply of aravana at Sabarimala, production of the prasadam is scheduled to resume on Wednesday following the completion of renovation and upgrading work at the plant there.
According to officials, a total of 15,000 kg of raw rice will reach Pampa by Monday evening. The upgraded section of the plant at Sannidhanam is expected to begin functioning on Wednesday morning after the premises are fumigated and cleaned. The preparations follow a shortage during the previous monthly pooja, when aravana stocks ran out before the five-day ritual concluded.
With the next pooja approaching, the temple was reportedly left with just 27 sacks of raw rice, sufficient to make around 27,000 tins of the prasadam. The board has placed an order for fresh supplies.
The existing facility can manufacture 1.15 lakh tins a day. TDB is hoping to accumulate a reserve of 4.5 lakh tins by November 17, when the temple opens for the next monthly pooja, an official said.
The daily requirement during monthly poojas is estimated at around 70,000 tins. Consumption could rise during the Thulamasa pooja, which precedes the Mandalam-Makaravilakku season by around a month.