Thiruvananthapuram | The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) on Thursday said it has appointed a Sabarimala sponsorship coordinator to prevent "illegal fundraising" in the name of the shrine.

The TDB, in an official release, said it had received reports of individuals from other states "illegally collecting sponsorship money" claiming to represent the Sabarimala Devaswom.

The Board clarified that it had not authorised anyone for such collections, making them illegal.

It has now appointed its Public Relations Officer, G S Arun, as the Sabarimala sponsorship coordinator, and its official photographer, P Vijayakumar, as the assistant sponsorship coordinator, it said.

The TDB said sponsorship donations can be made through the coordinators, the executive office at Sabarimala sannidhanam, or the TDB headquarters.

"Donations can also be made through the official website of the Travancore Devaswom Board. It is not responsible for any other collection of funds," the release added.