Makaravilakku:Sabari reopens

Melshanthi N. Balamurali reopens the Sabarimala temple for the Makaramasa pooja on Friday evening. Tantri Kandararu Maheswararu looks on.

Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple has been opened for Makaravilakku festival on Friday.
The nada was opened by Tantri Kandraru Maheswararu and chief priest N. Balamurali at 5.30 am.
No special poojas were performed on the reopening day as per the practice. The nada was closed by 3.0 pm and Harivarasanam was held at 11.0 pm.
After opening the nada, the chief priest ignited the azhi (fire) set up in Sannidhanam. The Makaravilakku will be observed on January 15.
According to the executive officer of Sabarimala, Mr M. Sathish Kumar, the regular poojas will be performed at the temple from Saturday onwards.
“The temple nada would be opened by 3.0 am for regular poojas from Saturday onwards. No regular pujas were performed on Friday,” he said.
KSRTC will resume all inter-state bus services, which were stopped at the end of the> Mandalakalam, from Saturday.
He also said that all arrangements had been made at Pampa and Sannidhanam for the Makaravilakku festival.

Mandala Pooja performed at sabarimala

Mandala Pooja, the major ritual ceremony of the pilgrim season, was performed in Sabarimala on Tuesday afternoon.


The ritual marked the end of 41 days of vrutha observed by the pilgrims to visit Sabarimala.


Prior to pooja, there were Kalabhabhshekam and Havis at Sannidhanam announcing the Mandala Pooja.


Tantri and Melsanthi led the procession around the Sanctum Sanctorum as part of the pooja.


The shrine was closed after Mandala Pooja. Later, the it was opened for evening poojas and was closed again after Harivarasanam. The temple will remain closed till Friday evening.


Temple will be reopened on Friday for Makaravilakku Festival, observed on January 15 and will remain open till January 21.


Devaswom Board Officials, led by president and police officers, led by special officer were also present during Mandala Pooja.

Kathina threat to Tiger Reserve

Cutting down new generation tree stalks for preparing wedges for Kathina will affect the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Stalks of Xanthophyllum are used to make wedges.


On an average, only ten wedges can be made from a two meter long stalk. Pilgrims offer about five thousand Kathina per day.


“The forest department had brought in restrictions on this matter last year.


The wedges can be reused and this can help reducing cutting. Workers were directed to cut down branches of trees to prepare wedges or find another alternative,” said a forest official to DC.


Kathina is an offering made by pilgrims but the sound and chemicals used for preparing it badly affects forest life.


The large scale cutting down of stalks of Xanthophyllum will result in the depletion of the species in the tropical rain forest. Contractors were directed to reduce the quantity of the chemical used in each Kathina.

Aravana workers seek pay hike, protest

Workers stage a protest in front of the aravana plant near Sannidhanam demanding hike in wages, on Tuesday.

Aravana workers protested at Sannidhanam demanding hike in salaries. About 200 workers staged dharna in front of the aravana plant at Sannidhanam after the Mandala Pooja.
Later, the protesters marched towards Devaswom Board Office to hold discussion with the officials.
But the Board president refused to talk to them stating that the demand can be considered only by the Board.
“We have been working without hike in wages for the last two years, so our demand is genuine”, said a worker to DC.

TN pilgrims drop; yet temple revenue soars

Ceremonial procession carrying the Thanka Anki, offered by the late Chithira Tirunaal Balarama Varma of the erstwhile Travancore royal dynasty to the temple, reached Pamba by Monday noon after four-day journey, starting from Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple. It was received at Saramkuthi by Devaswom officials along with police officers and Ayyappa Seva Sangham volunteers. The sacred golden attire was received by tanthri and melsanthi at Sannidhanam and it was taken to the sanctum sanctorum to perfo 


Mandalam Makaravilakku pilgrim season at Sabarimala has reached almost the last lap.

Observing Mandala Pooja on Tuesday, the 41st day of the season, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has managed to maintain peaceful functioning of every department at Pamba Sannidhanam stretch.
The first lap also witnessed heavy pilgrim rush on several days and the queue stretched till Pamba. Many pilgrims had to stand for hours to reach Sannidhanam.
The temple income also reached an all-time record despite fewer pilgrims from Tamil Nadu visiting the shrine on account of the Mullaperiyar tangle.
Police estimate that over 40 lakh pilgrims had visited the Sanctum Sanctorum till December 26. They believe 1 lakh pilgrims reach the Sannidhanam every day on an average. In effect, it’s been a fruitful pilgrimage so far despite problems and controversies outnumbered the achievements on ground zero.
Achievements:
1) Punyam poonkavanam – a major cleanliness drive launched by the TDB – to keep the Sannidhanam and Sabari Hills clean received good response from pilgrims. The project was supported by various organisations including Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sangham, Matha Amritanandamayi Mutt, NSS and others. Thousands of volunteers joined them, including journalists, which gave a real facelift to Sabarimala which otherwise used to be in the grip of stinking waste till last year.
2) Incinerator installed for waste management at Sannidhanam has been a great achievement as it played a major role in reducing solid waste heaped in and around Sannidhanam premises. The plastic crusher installed at Neelimala also reduced plastic waste.
3) The Virtual queue which is running on an experimental basis has become a big success though the system has its drawbacks like for instance multiple booking. However, police officers say, the shortcomings would be overcome during the next season.
Problems:
1) The construction of Bailey bridge (sarana sethu) continues to be avoided by pilgrims and the structure has become an outstanding example of how government funds could be wasted away on thoughtless and useless projects. Most pilgrims don’t use the structure built by the Indian army personnel on a record time, which was meant to decongest the crowd, since it’s too steep.
2) Pilgrims still don’t find proper resting places as the traditional shelters were removed by the authorities as part of the proposed Master Plan.
3) The State government has deployed 3,000 police personnel for the season along with 153 Fire and Rescue team, 120 Rapid Action Force, 30 National Disaster Response Force and 12 Commandos. However, instead of helping pilgrims, police personnel have become a menace to many. Civil service officials and media fraternity were the major victims of police high-handedness.
4) Pulmedu – the place where 106 pilgrims lost their lives in a notorious stampede during last year still remains a question mark before everyone. The TDB, in fact, has already decided to light up the Sathrapadi-Uppupara stretch from January 10 in an effort to avoid any mishap. The TDB decision has not gone down well with the State Forest Department officials who believe that lighting the heart of Periyar Tiger Reserve would alter the behaviour of wild animals.
Controversies:
1) Aravana has always been an object of controversy as far as Sabarimala is concerned. The specially prepared payasam this season too kept its date with the controversy as authorities destroyed 20,000 cans of aravana after it was found poor quality jiggery had gone to its making. Initial laboratory reports proved the jaggery used was good enough. With the laboratory asking for buffer stock samples Devaswom vigilance has started an enquiry.
2) Another controversy unfolded at the Hill Srine when Rahul Eshwar – grandson of tantri Kandararu Maheshwararu – was prevented from entering the sanctum sanctorum. The father later moved to court on Dec. 14 seeking justice.
3) The temple observed a pancha punyaham on Dec. 19 after Saraswathy, aged 35, a native of Andhra Pradesh climbed the 18 holy steps to have darshan of Lord Ayyappa. The RAF personnel were quick in identifying the lady who was later handed over to the police.
4) The move to relocate the copra plant to Pandithavalam has stirred a hornet’s nest. The proposal is to move the copra plant and to build a gallery for the pilgrims to watch Makaravilakku – the celestial light. However, many believe the ill-conceived move could result in another tragedy as the space can’t contain crowds thronging Makaravilakku festival.

Devaswom Board gets 15,000 kg rice every day

The Travancore Devaswom Board has been able to collect 15,000 kg of rice per day by opening centres where pilgrims could dispose of food grain after rituals.


The centres were started at six places in Sannidhanam. and four other spots in Malikappuram.


“The decision was taken to avoid the wastage of rice at Sannidhanam surroundings,” said an official. “Till last year, there was huge wastage of rice. Pilgrims used to dispose the rice where they used to sit after rituals.”


The system introduced this year helped the pilgrims to dispose of excess rice at various points. The board could make use of this rice to generate additional income.


“On an average, we are getting around 15,000 kg of rice per day from Sannidhanam,” said the official. “The quantity will vary according to the rush of pilgrims.”


Pilgrims offer rice along with arecanut, lemon, camphor, turmeric and coins. It is a huge task to segregate these items from rice. At present the separation is done manually.


The TDB is planning to introduce a separation technique before the next season.


The rice collected is used to prepare Appam and Nivedyam for pilgrims. “The rice that remains will be sold,” said the official.

Heavy rush ahead of Mandala Pooja

With the Mandala season entering the final phase, there was heavy rush in Sabarimala on Saturday.


The queue extended till Sabaripeedom and pilgrims had to wait for hours at various places while police tried to regulate crowds.
“We are bracing for a heavy rush in the coming days, as the Sannidhanam will observe Mandala Pooja on December 27,” said a senior police officer. “The arrival of pilgrims from other states will be more than expected.”


The police officer added that all precautions had been taken to control the rush. “We will try to ensure the smooth flow of pilgrims to Sannidhanam from Pamba,” said the police officer.


Police has been requesting pilgrims to move at slow pace and also stop over at various places from Marakkoottam to Valiya Nadapanthal than speeding to next point with Irumudi and other heavy luggage.


“This speedy movement often causes accidents since there are children and aged people in the group,” he added.


The police and Seva Sangham volunteers are serving the pilgrims throughout the stretch. The ABASS team is also supplying drinking water to pilgrims.

Restaurants still fleecing pilgrims

Restaurants on the way to Sannidhanam are still fleecing pilgrims despite stern warnings from authorities.


Though the restaurants have put up display boards as demanded by authorities listing rates of food items, the real rates they charge are far higher.


“For instance, a shop at Saramkuthi took Rs 15 from me for a single banana,” complained Mr Balan from Ernakulam.


Mr Radhakrishnan, another pilgrim, said that a shop insisted on charging Rs 12 for a porotta. “We had to take a token paying that rate or we would have been forced to go without food,” he said.


A senior official told DC that strong action would be taken on shops that were overcharging pilgrims. “We had earlier slapped huge fine on shops that were caught red handed fleecing pilgrims,” said the official.
The restaurants are raided frequently, but at the time of raid they are usually found to be charging regular rates.


“The shop owners charge high rates only during heavy rush,” said the official.

Board to collect parking fee

The Travancore Devaswom Board has decided to directly collect parking fee from vehicles of Sabarimala pilgrims at Chalakkayam, Elavunkal and Plappally.


Earlier, the parking fee collection was given to contractors. But the Board had decided to cancel the agreements with the contractors after a case was filed with the high court.


Though the Board called a re-tender, no one came to take over the contract at Pampa, Hilltop, Chakkupalam and Triveni.


This has led to the Board’s decision to collect the fee directly from the vehicles.
The high court had also ordered the police to give protection to the Board for collecting the fee.

Mundakkayam teams enact Ayyappa legend

Teams from Mundakkayam demonstrated the story behind Lord Ayyappa at Sannidhanam on Friday.


Dressed as Lord Siva, Parvathy, Ganapathy, Muruga and Ayyappa along with the demon Mahishi performed with the assistance of Chenda melam. The team was supported by Ammankudam players and Chendamelam.


Two teams consisting of 190 members from Mundakkayam reached Sannidhanam to take part in the Karpooraazhi rituals conducted by the police team. The team is performing at Sabarimala for the seventh consecutive time.


The dance-drama performance displayed the killing of demon Mahishi by Lord Ayyappa at Sannidhanam. Many pilgrims and police officials were present to witness the spectacle. Along with the dance drama there were performances with colourful decorated ammankudam placed on their heads.


“We have been performing Ammankudam for the last twenty-eight years at Sannidhanam,” said Ramesh, Amman Kudam team leader, to DC.


“We’ve been enacting the epic play and telling Ayyappa’s story for the past seven years at Sannidhanam. The team reaches Sabarimala on the same day every year for Karpoorazhi pooja,” said P.S. Suresh, captain, Sivakalasamithy, Mundakkayam.


“I am playing the role of Ayyappa for the third consecutive time, it is a great honour to play Lord Ayyappa at Sannidhanam,” said Shinu T.

Holy Thanka Anki procession starts on Dec 23

The Thanka Anki procession which carries the holy ornaments of Lord Ayyappa will start on Friday (December 23) from Aranmula.


Thanka Anki, the ornaments for Lord Ayyappa which were gifted by the Travancore Maharaja will be carried in a decorated chariot from the Aranmula Parthasarathy temple at 7 am.


Prior to the procession, the holy ornaments will be displayed to the devotees at the temple premises from 5 am. The procession will reach the Nedumbrayar Thevalasery Devi temple where the processionists will have breakfast.


Lunch is arranged at Ilathoor Naryanamangalam temple. The procession will halt at Omalloor Sree Raktha Kandaswami temple for rest at night. It will reach the Pathanamthita Sastha temple at noon. The second day halt is arranged at Konni Muringa Mangalam temple.


The procession, on its third day will halt at Perunad temple. The final day journey through Laha, Plapally, Nilakkal, Chalakkayam will see the procession reach Pamba at noon.


On 26 evening, the procession will reach Sabarimala for ritual pooja.

Russian devotee wants Ayyappa temple on home ground

Petukhova alias Induchoodan from St. Petersburg wants to construct a temple devoted to Lord Ayyappa on his home ground.


Petukhova, who became a Hindu and changed his name to Induchoodan (meaning Lord Siva), has been learning Hindu ideology, the Vedas, tantra vidya, kalari payattu and ayurveda for the last 20 years. He also practices ayurveda in St. Petersburg.


Climbing the holy steps for the seventh time, Induchoodan told Deccan Chronicle, “Life is transformed to another level after each climb. Here they are all are swamis, no differences in dress or mind. This has to be followed everywhere.”


“My son Eliya also accompanied me to Sabarimala this time. I took him along with me only after he attained perfection in vrutha and other ritual practices to be followed. The team tied their Irumudi in Pachalam, near Ernakulam."


"The team usually trekked via the forest route but we came through Pamba this time because we were only four of us and the forest route is filled with pilgrims," Petukhova added.


Evegny alias Vivek a freelance system analyst who is a frequent visitor to the Vedic Academy at Idukki has come to have Ayyappa darshan for the second time.


“We have observed 41 days of strict vrutha. We walk barefoot wherever we go,” said Vivek.


Yanina who changed her name to Devayani, is a retired engineer from Moscow. This 70-year-old managed to climb the hill though her legs were covered with bandages. She said that the visit gave her an experience with a difference.

Fire averted at Saramkuthy

The timely involvement of the fire and rescue team averted a fire mishap at Saramkuthy in the late hours of Tuesday. The boiler meant to treat drinking water supplied to pilgrims went up in flames at around 1:30 am.


“The automatic machine switched off and beeped an alarm that there was no water in the boiler. The operator who was asleep did not notice the alarm. He switched on the machine when he woke, and this led to the fire,” said assistant station officer K.V. Asokan to DC.


There were two 1000 and 2500 lire diesel tanks at the plant. The operator alerted the fire and rescue team camping near the plant and this helped in immediate action, Asokan said.


The plant could have exploded if the heat had increased.
The rescue team had to observe a slow and steady process for about an hour to bring down the temperature, he added.


The team of nine fire personnel were led by Arun Bhasker, special officer, fire and rescue, Sabarimala, and N. Asokan, assistant station officer.

Manarcad team offers kanikka in Sannidhanam

The Manarcad team, traditional guides of tantri and melsanthi to Sabarimala, reached Sannidhanam as part of their annual visit to offer kanikka to Lord Ayyappa.


The kanikka (bag with sovereigns) covered in blue silk was placed before the shrine soon after the ucha puja at the sanctum sanctorum.


The team consisting of 43 persons from Manarcad in Kottayam reached Sannidhanam on Monday morning. Led by Periya Swami Ravi Manohar they trekked through the traditional route — through the forest from Azhutha via Karimala and Pamba to reach Sabarimala.


“The team started their journey on Saturday from Manarcad Devi temple and reached Erumeli. After Pettah thullal we trekked via the traditional path to reach Sanidhanam.


This is the eighteenth year the team led by S. Rajappan, Periya Swami; P. Mohanachandran, secretary, Manarcad Devaswom and M.N. Saseendhran, have visited,’’ Ravi Manohar who led the team told Deccan Chronicle.


“Earlier the team used to visit the shrine during Makaravilikku. But it changed the time of its visit after suggestions from an astrologer,’’ he added.

Tension affects flow of TN pilgrims

“The closure of the check post on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border reduced the number of pilgrims from Tamil Nadu. The check post at Kumily, remained closed for several days and this has affected the entry of pilgrims from Tamil Nadu,” said ADGP P. Chandrashekeran.


The tension at border areas like Kumily, Cumbum and Theni has affected the flow of pilgrims from Tamil Nadu.


The number of Tamil Nadu registered vehicles in Pamba and at the parking lots at
Nilackal has fallen and this points to the fact that even pilgrims who used to trek through Kumily to reach Erumeli have not come despite the fact that the first half of the season is over.


The state police noted that a strong campaign about safety in Kerala is going on in Tamil Nadu especially in the border districts. The police will therefore take necessary steps to overcome the situation, Chandrashekeran added.


The tendency by Tamil Nadu pilgrims to postpone the trip will result in a huge rush in the coming days. Pilgrims coming through any route will be safe. The police is giving top priority to the security of the pilgrims coming to Sabarimala, the ADGP said.


The virtual queue which is running on an experimental basis for the moment, has become a big success though there are some drawbacks like multiple bookings in which a pilgrim has to book twice or thrice to have darshan upon reaching Sannidhanam.


A permanent solution will be found to this glitch before the system is finally put in place before the season.


The queue that allots darshan to 16,000 pilgrims a day is almost full till the end of the season and according to reports, vacancies are left only for the last three days, Chandrashekeran said.

Copra plant to give way for gallery

The copra plant in front of Sannidhanam will be shifted before next season.


The plant which functions round-the-clock as a disposal facility for the huge quantity of coconuts collected at Sannidhanam is expected to be shifted at the earliest.


“As part of Sabarimala master plan, the place where the plant currently
functions is the right place to view Ponnambalamedu where Makaravilakku is
seen.


The decision came after last year’s Pulmedu tragedy on the occasion of Makaravilakku. So a gallery is proposed at the site to enable the pilgrims to watch Makaravilakku without any hindrance”, said M. Satheesh Kumar, executive officer.


The pilgrims will henceforth be able to watch Makaravilakku from Sannidhanam instead of climbing Pulmedu 8 kms away from Sabarimala where 102 lost their lives last year in a stampede.


“It is proposed to shift the plant to Pandithavalam, but it will be too difficult to transport the coconut from Sannidhanam and Malikappuram to Pandithavalam in the midst of Ayyappas coming from various sides. The matter has been presented before Devaswom Board”, Mr Chandra Babu, supervisor of the copra plant, told DC.


“There is some land beneath the present plant that belongs to devaswom board. It can be utilised for the plant and we have been asked to submit a proposal on this matter by the Board,” he added.

Padi Pooja - My 4th Year oF Maalai

Manarkadu Sangham offered Panakkizhi

It is considered as an age old tradition practiced in Sabarimala. It is beleieved that it was the ancestors of the Manarakadu sangham had helped santhi and other priests to show the way by cutting the forest to Sabarimala. Time has changed a lot and every year the team will set out to Sabarimala on Dhanu 1 and will reach Pampa on the second day. After having a sumptuous feat they will ascend the holy hills and will pay their respect to Lord Ayyappa and the Panankizhi on 3rd dhanu monday.


The blue cloth is put in front of the temple before they sets out to Sabarimala and in this cloth the twenty eight half kara (regions) will deposit money and the team will set out with this money. The team consisted of members ageing 4 to 71 and after paying their respect the team descended the holy hills by Monday evening.

Bhasmakulam purified

The Bhasmakulam here is purified on last day so as to make it free from all kind of germs. The water in the pond was pumped out and new water was filled in. The pond has the capacity of two and a half lakh liters of water.


The water treatment plant is fully functional round the clock here. Chemicals like Poly Aluminium Chloride, Poly Electric Light, Chlorine, Caustic Soda were used to refine the water. The refinement is taking place with the help of four chemical adding machines and five motors. Water is pumped to the pond with the help of the eight pipe place adjacent to the ponds.


Bathing with soap and oil is prohibited here and devotees should make this into consideration

Tamil ayyappas are safe and no threat in Kerala

The other state devotees is coming to Sabarimala with all the ease and till date there haven’t been any kind of untoward incident happened to these devotees. Moreover, Police has strengthened its security so as to safeguard the fair and free travel of these devotees.


The devotees from Tamilnadu are flowing to Sabarimala on Tuesday. When Nada opened for morning pooja, nadapanthal was flooded with devotees. According to Manohar, a native of Tamilnadu Adayar said that the team consisting of thirty devotees hasn’t had encountered any problems in Kerala. They have come through the Chenkottai way. He also added that they got a first class welcome at Sabarimala.


The Malikappuram from Thuraikpakkom, Chennai is of is in the seventh heaven to have received sucha welcome here. They are planning to go for Kuttalam, and then Palani and will return to their homeland.
“When I and my team started from Tamilnadu we heard rumours that some problem is going here. But, when we entered to Kerala, we haven’t faced any problem. We had a very smooth darsan here” said Murukan. He also added that while he and his team reach their home and they will recommend that here there is no problem to others.


Govindswami who comes to Sabarimala for thirty years has also nice and warm experience. He doesn’t have faced any problem en route. He also plans to visit Kodungalloor and Chottanikkara temple.


Police have done every arrangement to look after the security of the devotees coming to Sabarimala. Moreover there is no case reported to have any attack over any Tamilians in Kerala. Hence ki

Thanka Anki to Sabarimala from Dec 23

The four-day procession of ‘Thanka Anki’ (golden attire), to be decorated on the Ayyappa idol during the ‘Mandala pooja’ at the Sabarimala hill shrine, will begin from Aranmula on December 23.


The ornaments were offered to the Lord by the Travancore royal house when the shrine was part of the princely state.


The ‘Ratha Yatra’, covering a distance of 80 km before reaching Sabarimala, will start from the Parthasarathy temple at Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district at 7 am on Friday.


Arrangements had been made for devotees to pay respect to the golden attire along the way.


The procession will reach the Sabarimala temple on December 26, a day before the Mandala pooja, marking culmination of the first phase of the temple’s two-month long pilgrimage season.

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Tamil ayyappas are safe and no threat in Kerala

The other state devotees is coming to Sabarimala with all the ease and till date there haven’t been any kind of untoward incident happened to these devotees. Moreover, Police has strengthened its security so as to safeguard the fair and free travel of these devotees.

The devotees from Tamilnadu are flowing to Sabarimala on Tuesday. When Nada opened for morning pooja, nadapanthal was flooded with devotees. According to Manohar, a native of Tamilnadu Adayar said that the team consisting of thirty devotees hasn’t had encountered any problems in Kerala. They have come through the Chenkottai way. He also added that they got a first class welcome at Sabarimala.

The Malikappuram from Thuraikpakkom, Chennai is of is in the seventh heaven to have received sucha welcome here. They are planning to go for Kuttalam, and then Palani and will return to their homeland.

“When I and my team started from Tamilnadu we heard rumours that some problem is going here. But, when we entered to Kerala, we haven’t faced any problem. We had a very smooth darsan here” said Murukan. He also added that while he and his team reach their home and they will recommend that here there is no problem to others.

Govindswami who comes to Sabarimala for thirty years has also nice and warm experience. He doesn’t have faced any problem en route. He also plans to visit Kodungalloor and Chottanikkara temple.

Police have done every arrangement to look after the security of the devotees coming to Sabarimala. Moreover there is no case reported to have any attack over any Tamilians in Kerala. Hence kindly ignore any false news happens to be spread over Tamilnadu and have a safe and happy pilgrimage.

Theerthadaka bodhayatra was reached Pampa on December 20

The awareness yatra conducted to give and spread messages and awareness of what are all to be followed at Sabarimala was reached on Decemeber 20 evening. The awareness yatra is conducted by Akhilabharatha Ayyappa Seva Sanghom. They will distribute handouts containing messages and pictures of the precautionary steps to be followed by devotees on the course to Sannidhanam.


The journey which starts from Allappuzha Mulakkal Temple on December 20 will travel all the while Thakazhy, Chakkulathukavu, Chenganur, Pathanamthitta, Vadasserikkara, Llaaha, Nilakkal and will perform the awareness programme. Dr B Padmakumar, P K Radhakrishnan Paniker, M K Omanakuttan Nair, Edakkad Balakrishna Pillai, Mullakkal Sivakumar, NRC Kurup, Rajeev Alappuzha, R Ramachandran Nair will lead the journey.

Thanka Anki Radh yatra on december 23rd

The Ornaments to the decorated with the Lord Ayyappa during the Mandalapooja, Thanka Anki yatra will starts on December 23. The ornaments were given to the Lord by King of Travancore.


The Ratha Yatra will starts from Parthasarathy temple, Aranmula on 23rd morning 7, the devotees can pay their respects to Thanka Anki on the same day morning 5 to 7. The journey starts from the Aranmulla temple will reach at Nedumbrayar Thevalasseri Devi Temple, and will have the break fast here. Then, it will reach Elathoor Narayanamangalam Temple by mid day and will end at Omallur Sree Raktha Kanda Swami temple. Next day the yatra will start its journey and will reach Pathanamthitta by 12.30 PM.


 Then, it will forego the journey to Sabarimala through Pulimukku Vettoor Sree Mahavishnu temple, Konni town and will end at Muringamangalam Temple, Konni. The journey will continue the next day on 25th morning through Attambakkal, Myladumpara, Malayalppuzha, Ranni Ramapuram temple and will that day journey at Peunadu temple. The last and final day journey will undego on 26th through Llaha Sathram, Plappally,
Nilakkal, Chalakkayam and will reach at Pampa. After having a short interval here the journey will go on
to Sannidhanam and at Saramkuthy Thanka Anki will be welcomed traditionally towards Sannidhanam.

Restrictions for pilgrims on Makaravilakku day

\As a part of the crowd management measures, restrictions will be in place in the movement of pilgrims to Sabarimala on Makaravilakku day on January 15.


The flow of pilgrims would not be allowed beyond Pampa from January 14 midnight to January 15 midnight to prevent overcrowding stampede-like situation at Sabarimala and surrounding areas on the Makaravilakku day on January 15.


The Fire Force personnel would initiate measures to prevent indiscriminate storage and unauthorised storage of LPG to prevent any possible mishaps.


Also as a part of the crowd management, pilgrim vehicles would not be allowed beyond Nilackal after January 14 midnight till January 16 noon. The measure would be taken to prevent traffic bottlenecks between Pampa and Nilackal on the night of the Makaravilakku day.

Pre-paid vazhipadu Tickets For Pilgrims

The pilgrims availing the service of Devaswom Board’s bus to Sabarimala will be issued with Pre-paid vazhipadu tickets said Adv Rajagopalan Nair, President.


The pilgrims will be issued with sufficient number of pre-paid tickets for Appam, Aravana and Neyyabhishekam at Trivandrum itself.
Those who possess these kinds of tickets would be given all the offerings at the Devaswom Information Center at Valiyanadapanthal. The move would help the bus to run daily on time.


The bus has been running late for these days due to the rush at the counters of Aravana and Aravana. This move would help the pilgrims a lot in both reaching Sabarimala on time and from the rushes at the counters.

Sabarimala : How To Reach

'S W A M I S A R A N A M'

The oldest and the traditional form of journey for the Sabarimala pilgrimage are via road. First to reach Erumely and trekking the forest road to reach the shrine. But the forest road is not easy and pilgrims who are not well should choose Pamba route.A chain service exists between Pampa and Nilackal base camp.

Pamba Bus Station restarts its functioning and the NILAKKAL - PAMBA Chain Services will be introduced in addition to long distant services to various other destinations according to the traffic demand round the clock during the festival season.

Online Seat Reservation avilable round the clock at PAMBA Bus Station during the festival season and 18 Online reservation counters in various centers.

For Booking Tickets Online Visit : e-ticketing

Special Service Operating Depots : Click here

Fare and shortest Distance to PAMBA : Click here

Route numbers for Pamba Special Service : Click here

Sabarimala By Bus

Pampa is the nearest place to Sabarimala that can be accessed only by road. Sabarimala is about 5 kms away from Pamba.

KSRTC operates special service from various depots namely TVM Central, Punalur, Kottarakkara, Chengannur, Kottayam, Erumely, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Kumaly, etc...
KSRTC provides safe and comfortable journey to the pligrims from different centres in addition to long distant services to various other destinations according to the traffic demand round the clock during the festival season.

From Railway station the pilgrims will have to take the road route to Pamba.

For pilgrims from all other states and from the northern region of Tamilnadu

Board a train to Kerala which has stops at Ernakulam or Kottayam or Kayamkulam or Mavelikkara or Chengannur Railway stations.

For pilgrims from the southern region of Tamilnadu,

They can get enough KSRTC buses from Shengottai or Nagarcoil or Trivandrum Central Bus stations.

Alight at any of the above places, during the pilgrimage season there will be frequent KSRTC bus services to Pamba.

Sabarimala By Train

Nearest railhead is at Chengannur, which is located at a distance of about 93 km from Pamba. Chengannur is located in the main rail route between Trivandrum and Kottayam and is connected by rail to all other railway stations in India. From Railway station the pilgrims will have to take the road route to Pamba.

For pilgrims from all other states and from the northern region of Tamilnadu

Board a train to Kerala which has stops at Ernakulam or Kottayam or Kayamkulam or Mavelikkara or Chengannur Bus stations.

For pilgrims from the southern region of Tamilnadu,

They can get enough KSRTC buses from Shengottai or Nagarcoil or Trivandrum Central Bus stations.

Alight at any of the above places, during the pilgrimage season there will be frequent KSRTC bus services to Pamba.

Sabarimala By Air

Both airports are well connected to all major airports in India and also are connected to many foreign cities. The pilgrims will have to take the road route to Pamba.

Trivandrum International Airport is located at a distance of 175 km from Sabarimala.

Nearby bus station: Trivandrum Central

Nedumbassery International Airport at Kochi is at a distance of about 190 km from Sabarimala. 

Nearby bus station: Ernakulam

Alight at any of the above places, during the pilgrimage season there will be frequent KSRTC bus services to Pamba.

Online Reservation

• Online Ticket Reservation
• How to Reserve Ticket
• Online Reservation Help
• Transaction Failure

Pamba Tour Package

S W A M I S A R A N A M

KSRTC operates special service inconnection with Mandalapooja Makaravilakku 2011-12 from various depots namely TVM Central, Punalur, Kottarakkara, Chengannur, Kottayam, Erumely, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Kumaly, etc... KSRTC provides safe and comfortable journey to the pligrims from different centres.
Pamba Bus Station restarts its functioning and the NILAKKAL - PAMBA Chain Services will be introduced in addition to long distant services to various other destinations according to the traffic demand round the clock during the festival season.
Online Seat Reservation avilable round the clock at PAMBA Bus Station during the festival season and 18 Online reservation counters in various centers viz.

Trivandrum Central, Kottarakkara, Kottayam, Munnar, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Guruvayoor, Malappuram, Valancherry, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kannur, Sulthan Bathery, Kaseragod

Bengaluru [Majestic & Satellite], Coimbatore, Mysore

For Booking Tickets Online Visit : e-ticketing

How to reach Pamba : Click here


Special Service Operating Depots : Click here

Fare and shortest Distance to PAMBA : Click here

Route numbers for Pamba Special Service : Click here

SABARIMALA Festival Season

Festival Season	Date
MANDALA KAALAM starts on	14/11/2011
MANDALA Pooja	27/12/2011
MAKARA VILAKKU	14/01/2012

KSRTC Pamba Bus Station

Services	Date
Pamba Bus Station starts on	14/11/2011
MANDALA KAALA Services	17/11/2011 To 27/12/2011
MAKARA VILAKKU Services	30/12/2011 To 15/01/2012

     Officials for Pamba Special Service Operations

	Name	Designation	Mobile
Chief Co-Ordinating Officer	Sri. K.M.Irshad	Chief Traffic Manager in-charge of Executive Director[O]	94470 71014
Asst. Co-Ordinating Officer	Sri. M.G.Pradeep Kumar	Mechanical Engineer, Chief Office	94475 70011
Special Officer	Sri. Easter Yaashica.K.C.M	Works Manager, R.W.Edapal	94470 71015

Special Service Operating Depots

Unit	Unit Officer	Mobile	STD	Phone	SM Office
Control Room	Chief Office, TVM	9447071021	0471	2463799	---------
PAMBA	Spl. Officer / ControlRoom	94470 71015	0473	5203445	5203446
Adoor	Sri. M.Vijayan Unnithan	9446843919	0473	4224767	4224764
Chengannur	Sri. G.Surendra Kumar	9446217909	0479	2452213	2452352
Ernakulam	Sri. K.C.Venugopalan	9446856641	0484	2360531	2372033
Erumely	Sri. K.S.Shaji [I/C]	9446129466	0482	--------	8212345
Guruvayoor	Sri.M.Kunhiraman	9495458492	0487	2556210	2556450
Kottarakkara	Sri. G.Sarith Kumar	9446569853	0474	2452812	2452622
Kottayam	Sri. P.S.Rajkumar	9947965615	0481	2562935	2562908
Kumaly	Sri. K.E.Ismail	9495394369	0486	9224242	9224242
Pandalam	Sri. R.Vijayan [I/C]	9497814687	0473	--------	4255800
Pathanamthitta	Sri. S.Suresh Kumar	9447589230	0468	2229213	2222366
Punalur	Sri. R.Vijaya Kumar	9746298572	0475	2222636	2222626
TVM Central	Sri. K.Vijaya Kumar	9846895195	0471	2323979	2323885

Fare and shortest Distance to PAMBA from Various Important Places

Important Places	Kilometre	Fast Passenger	Super Fast	Super Express
Trivandrum	187	119.00	125.00	131.00
Kollam	143	93.00	98.00	--------
Punalur	114	77.00	81.00	--------
Pandalam	96	67.00	70.00	76.00
Chengannur	102	70.00	74.00	76.00
Kottarakkara	115	77.00	82.00	86.00
Ernakulam	302	130.00	137.00	146.00
Guruvayoor	302	171.00	180.00	191.00
Thrissur	267	150.00	188.00	171.00
Palakkad	335	189.00	199.00	216.00
Kannur	492	292.00	308.00	--------
Kozhikkode	398	239.00	252.00	--------
Kottayam	131	87.00	90.00	96.00
Erumely	53	43.00	44.00	46.00
Kumaly	124	92.00	95.00	100.00
Pathanamthitta	75	55.00	58.00	61.00
Inter State
Important Places	Kilometre	Fast Passenger	Super Fast	Super Express
Coimbatore	-	213.00	225.00	246.00
Palani	-	150.00	154.00	169.00
Thenkasi	-	110.00	118.00	127.00

The given Fare are the shortest route to PAMBA. Fare may vary according to the distance and route.

Route numbers for Pamba Special Service Operations

Sl. No.	Place	Route No.
1	Pathanamthitta	1
2	Kottarakkara	2
3	Trivandrum	3
4	Chengannur	4
5	Kottayam	5
6	Ernakulam	6
7	Guruvayoor	7
8	Thrissur	8
9	Erumely	9
10	Kumily	10
11	Ponkunnam	14
12	Punalur	15
13	Pandalam	16
14	Adoor	17
15	Palani	11
16	Thenkasi	12
17	Coimbatore	13
18	Nilakkal - Pamba Chain	100