Footfall, revenue fall as Sabarimala stand-off goes on
A regular at Sabarimala for 30 years Senthil Velu (64), a devotee from Tiruchi in Tamil Nadu, boasted he had ‘darshan’ of his favourite deity for more than eight times during the six-hour stay allotted by the police. Happy, he never had such an opportunity like this in three decades.
However, Velu doesn’t want a repeat of this. High-pitch hymns (Swami Saranam) and winding queues are missing and the atmosphere in the shrine has given way to mutual suspicion and tension. Velu says he has never witnessed a deserted ‘valiya nada pandal’ (main hall beneath 18 holy steps for pilgrims to rest).
“Since I am a ‘guru swami’ (a pilgrim who has visited the temple for seven consecutive years) I told my fellow pilgrims not to chant ‘saranam’ since prohibitory orders were in place. Once you don black and wear ‘mala’ (beads) you are known as a swami, but this time pilgrims are scared to greet other swamis,” he lamented.
Velu’s comments aren’t isolated, most of the pilgrims who had ‘darshan’ at the temple in last six-days of the annual pilgrimage season at hill temple, nestled in Western Ghats region of Pathanamthitta district, shared the same view. “We take pilgrimage for peace and spiritual solace. If both are missing what is the point,” asked a guru swami of 110-odd pilgrims who came from Maharashtra’s Kalyan, before calling off their plan to trek to the temple.
The teaching of the temple is inscribed before the sanctum, ‘tatvamasi’ (a Sanskrit phrase meaning there is no difference between you [the devotee] and I [the deity]), said Naryanankutty Menon, a retired head master from Thrissur adding that for most who trek to Sabarimala it is a ‘tapasya’ ( an austere move for self-discipline and salvation). But the police build up, prohibitory orders and enveloping tension has spoiled the spirit, he said adding the government and judiciary have let them down.
Amid the standoff between the government and protestors over the entry of women in Sabarimala, the pilgrims footfall has dipped drastically compared to earlier years. According to the Travancore Dewasom Board (TDB), an autonomous body that runs the temple, there is a 70% fall in the number of visitors. The first six days of the longest season, this year has seen 90,000 pilgrims compared to four lakh last year. D Sudesh Kumar, Sabarimala temple’s executive officer said the revenue generated in the six days was ~2.2 crore compared to ~5.68 crore last year.
Tour operators said there were mass cancellations due to the prevailing situation, the state has witnessed two shutdowns in a month over the issue.
Meanwhile, BJP general secretary VN Radhakrishnan alleged that an IPS officer had slighted minister of state for finance and shipping Pon Radhakrishnan who has come to offer prayers at the temple. “SP Yatish Chandra was arrogant and raised his voice when the minister asked about the private vehicle restriction in the area. While coming back, his convoy was blocked under suspicion that some protestors were travelling with him,” Radhakrishnan alleged. However, his claims were denied by Kottayam SP Harishankar, in-charge of Pambha base camp. “The minister car was never blocked and searched,” he said.
Later in the evening Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called on the governor P Sathasivam to apprise him of the situation in Sabarimala. “The CM assured the governor that action will be taken to ensure a smooth pilgrimage in Sabarimala,” a communiqué from Raj Bhawan said.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: