KOCHI: A devastating flood, a wave of protest against entry of young women to the hill shrine that marred an entire pilgrimage season and the ‘kanikka challenge’ by which some organisations gave a call to stop offerings at Sabarimala temple. A Padmakumar, whose term as Travancore Devaswom Board president ended on Wednesday, had a tough time at the helm of affairs during the past two years.
“I am happy that we could lay the foundation for the future development of Sabarimala despite the agitation. Some people wanted bloodshed at Sabarimala and we took steps to avoid such a situation. Amidst the financial crisis, the board worked with unity and rebuilt Pampa which was devastated in the flood,” Padmakumar told TNIE.
Refuting the allegations that police took over Sabarimala and the board was sidelined, he said, the police were given the task to control the crowd and manage the agitation. The board’s duty was to manage the temple affairs, he said. KP Shankardas, who stepped down as a member of TDB, said there was a steep decline in TDB’s income due to the ‘kanikka challenge’. "The TDB has 1,250 temples and only 61 of them are self reliant. The decline in income has affected the TDB’s coffers, but the government sanctioned `100 crore to manage the situation," he said.
According to Shankardas, TDB’s financial situation has improved as the situation has become normal. “Many devotees in other state have made Lord Ayyappa a partner in their businesses. Devotees who did not get the opportunity last year will come this time and will donate. Besides, we conducted a campaign in other South Indian states to convince the devotees that there was no tension at Sabarimala. These steps will yield results,” said Shankardas.
Compare to last year, there has been an increase of Rs 4.25 crore in revenue in October, he said. This means devotees have understood situation and it will reflect in our income, he added.
Ropeway from Pampa hill top to police barrack
Shankardas said the proposed 2.9 km-long ropeway from Pampa hill top to the police barrack at Sannidhanam will help pilgrims reach the temple in 20 minutes. This will ensure speedy evacuation of people who fall ill, he said.