Sabarimala temple averse to suggestion on widening steps, door

SABARIMALA - A fresh controversy has broken out in Kerala’s famed Sabarimala temple, this time over a court suggestion to consider widening of the temple’s 18 holy steps as well as the door to the sanctum sanctorum to allow pilgrims easier access.

The head priest of the temple and a vastu expert, among others, have opposed any attempt to tinker with the temple’s original structure.

A division bench of the Kerala High Court early this week asked officials to file a report in a month’s time on considering widening of the 18 steps and the door leading to the sanctum sanctorum.

The court’s observations were made while considering a report submitted by the Special Commissioner of Sabarimala stating that many devotees were injured during the last festival season.

The court also suggested erecting a conveyor belt to make darshan easy for the devotees.

The Sabarimala temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa is in Pathanamthitta district in central Kerala. It is situated on the Western Ghats at an altitude of 914 metres above sea level. The temple is atop a hill, and pilgrims have to make a four km uphill climb from Pamba.

The temple bars women who have attained puberty but not reached menopause from entering.

The temple was in the news in 2006 over reports that Kannada actress Jaimala had offered prayers there several years ago, ignoring the temple rules on women.

This led to heated debates on whether all women should be allowed to enter the place of worship.

The temple is open throughout the year and the peak pilgrimage season begins on the first day of the Malayalam month in November. It ends on the first day of the Malayalam month in January.

The number of pilgrims visiting the shrine has been going up every year and in the last season which ended in January this year the donations collected here crossed Rs.140 crore.

Veteran temple vastu expert Cheruvalli Narayanan Nampoothiri said that under no circumstances would it be possible to make any changes in the basic structure of any temple according to the norms of temple vastu.

“Changes just cannot take place in the basic structure. And since the Lord is installed inside no part of the sanctum sanctorum can be altered or reshaped,” said Nampoothiri.

Pilgrims have to wait for several hours before they get a chance to climb the hallowed 18 steps which lead to the sanctum sanctorum and get darshan of Lord Ayyappa.

General secretary of Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sangham, N. Sreenivasan, criticised the court’s suggestions saying they would hurt the sentiments of crores of believers.

“Each of the 18 holy steps represent the hill gods of Lord Ayyappa and it is impossible to widen the doors of the sanctorum of the temple for convenience of the pilgrims,” said Sreenivasan.

The temple, on the top of the hill, is accessible on foot from Pamba.

Supreme priest of the temple Thantri Kanderaru Mahesweraru said that the suggestions amount to demolishing the temple and building a new one.

“The temple has been built based on scientific calculations and it simply cannot be altered. The 18 holy steps have a lot of reverence,” he said.

“The temple’s door also cannot be widened because it is based on the size of the deity placed inside and altering the size of the door means as good as removing the deity,” said Mahesweraru.

Devaswom Minister Kadanapally Ramachandran said the new Travancore Devaswom Board, the agency that looks after the Sabarimala temple, assumed office Friday and it would need some time to look into the matter.

“I do not wish to make any comment. If needed at an appropriate time, we will come out with what we have in mind. At the moment, we have no role,” said Ramachandran.