Sabarimala : The police has removed the rope restricting the devotees from accessing the Mahakanikya. TDS had requested for this several times earlier but the police authority was not ready. It is said that, the police removes the barrier on the grounds of the review meeting which is about to take place. However not the entire restrictions have been removed. As of now the pilgrims can go to ‘Mahakanikya’ directly from the 18-holly steps and make offerings.
The income from Sabarimala has declined to a figure lesser than half of what it received on previous years. On completing 11 days of pilgrimage the temple revenue seems to have faced a lose of 24.46 crores. 11.99 crore was the lose only from Aravana sales and lost of 2.45 crores on Appam sales. Shop rentals clinging to the down graph with lose of 50.62 lakhs, while book sales showed mercy with a hike in the income, 4.37 lakhs has increased from the book sales.
Last year by this time Sabarimala had an income of 41.7 crore while in this year it is only 16.23 crores. The Government’s stubborn attitude against the devotees will has created such tension resulting the decline in the temple’s income. Governments decision to implement women entry at any cost has paved way for protest from the devotees.
The brutality against pilgrims by the police had forced devotees to quit making offerings to the temple. It is not only Sabarimal’s income which is affected the income of other temples has also followed the trend.
