Sabarimala, Guruvayur to be developed on Tirupati model; Govt ready to spend even Rs 1,000 crore if needed, says CM

KOCHI: Sabarimala and Guruvayur temples will be developed on the Tirupati model, and the government is ready to spend even Rs 1,000 crore for the purpose, said Chief Minister V D Satheesan. He said this while speaking at an event organized by the Paravur Union of the Akhila Bharata Ayyappa Seva Sangham.

‘We will transform Sabarimala and Guruvayur temples into pilgrimage centres that attract devotees from all parts of the world. We have asked the architects and others who led the development of Tirupati to visit Sabarimala and Guruvayur. Once this year’s Sabarimala pilgrimage season comes to an end, steps will be initiated for this. The Telangana government will also be brought into the initiative. This year will see the best possible pilgrimage season. The government is moving forward in cooperation with the devaswom board for this purpose.

All the measures that need to be taken by the government in connection with the Sabarimala pilgrimage season have already been initiated. Matters related to road construction will also be completed quickly. A meeting of the concerned officials was held in Thiruvananthapuram earlier this month. A comprehensive meeting has been scheduled to be held at Pamba in early October,’ said the chief minister.

Meantime, Sabarimala, which opened for the Kanni monthly poojas is facing a severe shortage of Aravana and Appam. Devotees were given only one tin of Aravana each. The authorities said that if more pilgrims arrive today, when the temple is scheduled to close, they may not even be able to provide one tin per person. Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan expressed his displeasure to Travancore Devaswom Board President K Jayakumar over the phone in connection with it.