THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 87th annual pilgrimage of Sivagiri Mutt in Varkala will begin on Monday. All arrangements are in place for the smooth conduct of the event. Security arrangements have been tightened as Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the three-day event at 10 am. Governor Arif Mohammed Khan will preside over, while Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan will be the chief guest. The theme for this season is ‘Knowledge, Health and Spirituality’.
On Tuesday, the pilgrimage procession will begin at 6 am. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the pilgrim summit at 10 am. S A Vigneshwar, president of the Senate Parliament of Malaysia, will be the chief guest. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan and Lulu Group chairman Yusuffali M A will participate. At 12.30 pm, Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan will inaugurate the media seminar. Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel will be the chief guest.
On the final day, Karnataka Deputy CM Aswathnarayan C N will inaugurate the summit. PWD Minister G Sudhakaran will preside over, while Civil Supplies Minister P Thilothaman will be the chief guest. The valedictory function will be inaugurated by Union Minister of State R K Singh, while Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran will preside over and Power Minister M M Mani will be the chief guest.
Pilgrims flock to the mutt
Pilgrims across the state started flocking to the mutt since Saturday. Long queues of pilgrims were visible at Mahasamadhi and Sarada Mutt on Saturday and Sunday. Free snack bar counters, under the aegis of Guru Dharma Prachara Sabha, have been arranged at mutt. In addition to the permanent venue, which can accommodate over 10,000 pilgrims, there will be exhibition stalls on the premises.
District Collector K Gopalakrishnan has declared the premise as a ‘Green Protocol’ zone, so as to prevent the use of plastic. Special arrangements have been put in place for removing garbage. Round-the-clock surveillance of food safety department and Suchitwa Mission has been ensured to supervise the hygiene of food supplied.
The area will be under high-security cover during the three days. Special KSRTC bus services have been launched from Varkala to other parts of the state and vice-versa for the convenience of pilgrims. Varkala railway station has facilitated unreserved, reserved and inter-city passenger tickets for pilgrims to book tickets in advance. Accommodation facilities are arranged at Sivagiri school, college, convention centre and all institutions of the Mutt.