Gearing up for vavu bali

Travancore Devaswom Board is planning a facility on Shanghumugham beach which will allow around thousand persons to offer the ritual at a time
Hundreds offered bali on Papanasam beach at Varkala last year Express
Hundreds offered bali on Papanasam beach at Varkala last year Express

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The capital will set a record of sorts this Karkidaka Vavu bali day by offering the largest facility in the state to conduct the ritual.The facility planned by the Travancore Devaswom Board on Shanghumugham beach will allow around thousand persons to offer the ritual at a time. The board’s maiden bali facility on the beach last year had attracted huge crowds. 


This year the city corporation will help the TDB to set up a huge marquee, 100 m long and 20 m wide.  Travancore Devaswom Board president Prayar Gopalakrishnan said the facility is being set up with an aim to save the time of the devotees. 


“Owing to the heavy rush people have to wait in long queues for 20 to 30 minutes. If more people can be allowed to offer the ritual at a time, it would help easen the traffic,” he said. Last year, TDB had set up a facility which enabled 350 persons to offer bali at a time. The facility was launched in the wake of rampant complaints of exploitation by bogus priests.  


A recent meeting of TDB has assigned an assistant commissioner with the board to  monitor the tarpan arrangements at Shanghumugham.

Other centres
TDB has also started arrangements to welcome devotees at other major bali tarpan centres. These include the Thiruvallam Sree Parasurama temple, beaches at Varkala and  Thirumullavaram and the Aluva river  bank. Over 90,000 persons had offered bali at the Thiruvallam temple last year. At all these places a TDB officer of the rank of deputy devaswom commissioner will  be in charge.TDB will also facilitate tarpan at its  temples at Neyyattinkara  Thrikulangara, Aruvikkara,  Kelamangalam at Keraladityapuram  and Thrivikramangalam. 

Lighting, cleaning
A review meeting attended by Mayor V K Prasanth and TDB presdent Prayar Gopalakrishnan has decided to implement a green protocol at Shanghu-mugham. KSEB and the DTPC will be asked to ensure that the streetlights are functioning properly. Life guards will be deployed on the beach and the Kerala Water Authority will provide potable water to the devotees. 

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