THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Preparations are in full swing for the smooth conduct of ‘Karkidakavavu Bali’ (a homage to departed souls) on July 19 at Sri Parasurama Temple in Thiruvallam. Thousands of devotees are expected to throng the 2,000-year-old temple located on the banks of the Karamana river, to perform bali this year. Last year, over 31,000 offered ‘bali’ here. This year the authorities are expecting between 35,000 and 50,000 devotees.
At least nine temporary ‘bali mandapams’ and 100 shower baths are being set up by the Devaswom Board.
“In the past couple of years, people were hesitant because of the Covid situation. We are expecting more devotees this year,” says Devaswom Board assistant commissioner Hari Kumar.
“As per the current arrangement, at least 3,500 people can perform ‘bali’ at a time here. KSRTC will conduct special services from East Fort from 2 AM on Monday.” Recently, the board acquired 1.6 acres of land west of the temple to scale up the infrastructure for the devotees. It has also allotted `25 lakh for making arrangements for the devotees.
“We are constructing temporary bridges for the hassle-free movement of devotees to the bali pandals,” says Hari. “The quality of water remains poor, and hence we have installed temporary showers for devotees. The work by the Irrigation department is progressing at Bali Kadavu to make it pollution-free.”
The board has also made arrangements at Varkala Papanasam and other temples in the district. “The number of ‘bali’ at Varkala will be less compared with Thiruvallam. Temporary toilets, changing rooms, and all arrangements are in place,” says Hari.
Safety concerns at Shankumugham
Shankumugham Beach, which is considered the ‘Arattukadavu’ of Sri Aanthapadmanabhan, used to be one of the more popular locations in the district for offering bali. But the location has remained out of bounds owing to rough sea conditions.
“This year, there were no restrictions from the district administration, but we decided not to include the location due to safety concerns. The sea has advanced, and the waves are rough,” says Devaswom Board president K Anathagopan.
Meanwhile, the Devaswom Board is gearing up to invite expressions of interest to scale up the infrastructure at Thiruvallam. The plan is to set up dormitories, clock rooms, changing rooms, toilet blocks, and more mandapams for performing ‘bali’.
“The parcel of land we acquired is on the banks of the Karamana river; we are also planning to construct a new ‘bali kadavu’. The project will take off this year, and we will ensure more facilities for the devotees next year,” says Ananthagopan.
Bali Kadavu remains polluted
The quality of the water at Bali Kadavu remains highly polluted due to the flow of filth and garbage from Parvathy Puthanar. The issue has remained unaddressed for years now. As a temporary solution, the irrigation department has installed shutters on either side of the Thiruvallam canal to prevent the entry of polluted water.
As per the report from the state pollution control board based on the water quality study last year, the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) level – which indicates the pollution level in water – at Thiruvallam was 10.8 PPM, which is alarmingly high. After cleaning, the BOD level was brought down to 6.6 PPM.
“Now the maintenance work of the shutters is progressing, and we have installed pumps to bring water from the Karamana River to reduce pollution and pump out polluted water,” says an official of the minor irrigation department.
“The shutters were installed on both ends of the Kadavu around 11 years back, and owing to the Covid situation, the maintenance work was not regular. Now the work is going in full swing, and tomorrow we will be able to pump water from the river. Last year also we did the same to ensure clean water for doing rituals.”
The official notes that there were instances when slaughter waste and other garbage flowed into the ‘kadavu’. “We cannot leave the shutters open, and we have appointed three workers who work on shifts to operate the pump to regularly bring water from the Karamana river to maintain the ‘kadavu’,” says the official.
The cash-strapped department has requested about `1 crore for maintaining the ‘kadavu’ and installing a fence to prevent dumping. It has also urged the Devaswom Board to give daily payments to the workers.
“They are making a lot of revenue. We don’t have the financial resources to pay the workers. They can streamline the cleaning activities better if they take over the responsibility. We will maintain and clean the ‘kadavu’,” the official adds.
The Thiruvallam Canal has also remained polluted for years due to a lack of natural flow of water during high tide and low tide. Sapesan P, a resident of Edayar near Thiruvallam, says the issue has remained unaddressed despite repeated demands.
“We have given so many letters and memoranda in the past years. The natural flow of water is happening because of the formation of a 200-meter sandbar between Edayar and Poonthura,” he says.
“The pollution level is so high because of stagnation and the flow of filthy water from Parvathy Puthanar.”
Recently, officials from the district administration visited the location to assess the situation, adds Sapesan, who lives 300 metres away from the temple. “The local residents conveyed our concerns to the authorities. Even if half of the sandbar is dredged and removed, the natural flow will happen, and there will be some respite from pollution. We are living under the threat of communicable diseases, and the mosquito density is also high,” he says.