Aravana shortage at Sabarimala sparks protests; TDB faces flak ahead of pilgrimage season

A shortage of Aravana, the jaggery-based offering central to worship at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, triggered protests over the weekend, with pilgrims waiting in long queues and several returning without the prasadam after darshan.

The disruption stems from the shutdown of the Aravana production plant at Sannidhanam for maintenance, compounded by the Travancore Devaswom Board's failure to build an adequate buffer stock. On Sunday, devotees were issued only three packets of Appam and one tin of Aravana each. Protests had already erupted on Saturday, when queues stretched for hours for a single tin and police had to step in at times to pacify agitated pilgrims.

Official sources said the board had earmarked 3.25 lakh tins of Aravana for the five-day monthly puja that began on September 16. By Saturday evening, that stock had dwindled to about 25,000 tins, forcing authorities to restrict distribution. The board has attributed the shortfall to an unexpectedly large turnout of pilgrims.

A TDB official said footfall during the monthly puja, particularly from other States, had climbed 30-40 per cent over the same period last year, a surge that was not factored into buffer-stock calculations. The decision to begin renovating the plant immediately after securing Kerala High Court permission also contributed to the thin reserves. The work is expected to take about 40 days, with completion targeted for the second week of October, after which the board plans to build a buffer of at least 55 lakh tins ahead of the annual pilgrimage season.

Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan expressed displeasure over the restrictions, calling the failure to anticipate the shortage a lapse on the TDB's part. He said the renovation should have been scheduled while the temple was closed, and that taking it up during a period of heavy pilgrim arrivals had caused needless hardship. The Minister also acknowledged that the government and the Minister would face criticism whenever devotees encountered difficulties, and noted that the shortage had raised concerns about how demand would be managed once the season was in full swing.

The crisis carries added weight because the Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season begins on November 16. Preparations are under way to raise the plant's production capacity by roughly one lakh tins a day. Aravana sales are a major revenue source for the TDB, generating more than ₹80 crore in the previous pilgrimage season alone.