Devotees Continue to Flock to Sabarimala Despite Controversies: TDB President

Pathanamthitta: Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P.S. Prasanth on Saturday said that the continued large turnout of devotees at the Sabarimala temple since October 17 reflects that pilgrims remain unaffected by the recent controversies surrounding the shrine. The hill-top temple was opened on Friday for the month of Thulam poojas.
Addressing the media, Prasanth said, “Controversies, including the gold issue, and the functioning of the temple will follow their own course. The devotees’ enthusiasm shows that their faith remains undiminished.”
He confirmed that all arrangements for President Draupadi Murmu’s visit to Sabarimala on October 22 have been completed. Security measures have been strengthened, and devotees’ access to darshan will be restricted while the President is at the shrine.
President Murmu is scheduled to reach the temple by noon, after which she will rest at the Sabarimala guest house and leave for Thiruvananthapuram the same evening. She will be escorted in a four-wheel-drive Kerala Police vehicle, accompanied by four additional vehicles and an ambulance along the 4.5-kilometre Swami Ayyappan Road and the traditional trekking route to Sannidhanam.
Draupadi Murmu will arrive in Kerala on October 21 for a four-day visit. Following her departure, temple authorities have said that devotees will be allowed darshan to the maximum extent possible.