Refrain from offering cattle, devotees urged

Travancore devaswom board officials have asked the devotees to desist from the practice of offering cattle to the Hill Shrine. Devotees need only to remit the value of the cattle now, the officials informed. Inadequacy and unhygienic condition of the goshala (cattle home) at Sannidhanam seems to have forced Devaswom authorities to issue this order.


Earlier, the Kerala high court had directed authorities to take immediate steps to facilitate better arrangement to accommodate cattle following reports that several cows and goats had died at the goshala at Sannidhanam due to lack of fodder and unhygienic conditions. This prompted the authorities to shift the cattle housed at Sannidhanam to a newly built goshala at Nilakkal.


Only two cows and a few roosters are here. Milk used for abhishekam is taken from the cows at Sannidhanam goshala. Devaswom officials said devotees wanting to offer cattle can do so by taking them to the goshala at Nilakkal. M. Sathish Kumar, devaswom executive officer said the board would instruct police to stop the devotees coming with cattle at Pampa itself.