The Malappuram district administration has asked the organizers of the Mahamagham festival to be held on the banks of Bharathapuzha in Tirunavaya to come up with a robust action plan to ensure safety and security.
The festival, which will be inaugurated by Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Monday, will continue till February 3. As thousands of devotees will participate in the event, security arrangements remain a key concern, said District Collector VR Vinod.
He said that the District Disaster Management Authority had convened a meeting and sought active coordination with the organizers to ensure comprehensive security arrangements throughout the festival.
Due to the festival, the district administration issued a stop sign which stopped the construction of a temporary bamboo bridge across the river. However, the move sparked widespread protests and was viewed from different angles.
“Our only concern was safety. We were looking for full details of the bridge, including the number of people it can safely carry at one time,” Mr. Vinod said.
He said water pollution is also a major problem for the administration as thousands of people depend on Bharathapuzha for their water needs. “We have to ensure that the river is not polluted under any circumstances,” said the collector.
According to their words, the organizers responded positively to the municipal authority’s order. The collector’s 21-point directive includes instructions on the use of a makeshift bridge over the river along with other logistical arrangements for the two-week festival.
The festival sparked controversy a few days ago after authorities issued a last-minute curfew, as organizers claimed. One of the organizers said that they had already approached the authorities in November asking for permission for the festival, but the matter remained unresolved for several months before the search for an action plan began at eleven o’clock.
The festival is expected to attract thousands of sanyasins from different parts of the country, especially South India. Organizers are planning the event as a South Indian Kumbh Mela. They said elaborate arrangements have been put in place, including parking facilities, crowd management, food and drinking water supply and river security.
The governor will inaugurate the event by hoisting the sacred flag at 11 am on Monday. The Mahameru Ratha Yatra, or sacred chariot procession, will be taken out from Tamil Nadu to Tirunavaya on the same day.
From January 19 to February 3, Navakoti Narayana Japarchana will be held at Mahamagha. Groups of devotees arriving with sacred lamps from various temples will be offered Magha Vrisham and saplings of the sacred peepal tree (Ashwatha), which is believed to be the abode of protective deities, as prasadam. The festival concludes on February 3, the auspicious day of Makham Nakshatra in the month of Magha, with morning Amrita Snanam (holy ritual bath) followed by Yati Pooja.
Published – 17 Jan 2026 20:32 IST