Thiruvananthapuram | Keralam Devaswoms Minister K Muraleedharan on Sunday said the TDB had informed him that there was no need to worry about the availability of 'aravana' prasadam for devotees during the upcoming annual Sabarimala pilgrimage.
Speaking to reporters, Muraleedharan said Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president K Jayakumar had told him that all arrangements had been made to ensure an adequate supply of aravana.
"A meeting chaired by the chief minister has been called on October 17. Everything will become clear on that day," he said.
The minister also said he and Chief Minister V D Satheesan would be visiting the Sannidhanam next week to directly assess the situation at the Lord Ayyappa temple.
"We will get a clear picture then. The government intends to ensure a comfortable and smooth pilgrimage for devotees this year. For this, the government will put a system in place in cooperation with the Board," he said.
He also said that although there were news reports of a shortage of rice at the temple for the aravana, the TDB president had assured them that there was an adequate stock.
Aravana payasam is a sweet dish made from red rice, jaggery and ghee. It is a traditional temple prasadam or sacred offering, in the state, especially at the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala.
There was a shortage of the prasadam at the temple last month when it was open for the monthly poojas due to repair and renovation work at the plant manufacturing it.
It invited severe criticism from the minister, who said that such activities should have been carried out when the temple was closed.
The TDB president explained that although the temple had an adequate stock of aravana, the number of devotees who came was far more than anticipated, resulting in a shortage.
