Pilgrims climbing the holy 18 steps for darshan at the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple on Monday. | Photo credit: LEJU KAMAL
The 2025-26 annual pilgrimage season kicked off on a strong note with a large influx of pilgrims from neighboring states as the Travancore Devaswom Board reported a total income of ₹ 92 crore in the first 15 days. This represents a 33.33% jump from the ₹69 crore collected in the same period last year.
The major share of revenue came from the sale of the aravana offering, which alone brought in ₹47 crore, up from last year’s ₹32 crore, a growth of 46.86%. Revenue from appam sales was ₹3.5 crore, roughly in line with last year’s numbers.
Income from kanikka (hundis) also showed an upward trend and reached ₹26 crore compared to ₹22 trillion in the same period in 2024
Pilgrim attendance remained high, with about 13 million devotees visiting the hill shrine by November 30, according to the TDB.
Meanwhile, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) will take a final decision on serving the traditional Kerala festival for pilgrims at Sabarimala after the board meeting scheduled on December 5. Previously, the plan was to start serving the holiday from December.
According to K. Jayakumar, president of TDB, the contractor was awarded a seasonal contract to supply pulao and replacing it with a feast could mean legal complications as well as the need for additional infrastructure. A committee headed by Commissioner Devaswa was appointed to study these aspects and submit a report. After receiving the report, the board will make a final call.
Sabarimala Executive Director OG Biju also clarified that the decision to postpone the introduction of the feast is only temporary. Earlier, there were reports of the board president’s announcement to introduce sadyas as free food for devotees led to a bitter row in the board.
Meanwhile, as part of efforts to keep the Pampa River clean, eight contract workers have been deployed to collect clothes left by pilgrims in the Pampa after bathing. Police and Home Guard personnel were also deployed in the area to raise awareness against throwing clothes into the river. These steps are taken in accordance with the orders of the Supreme Court.
Published – 01 Dec 2025 19:51 IST
