On September 18, The Kerala High Court ordered a probe into discrepancies in the Sabarimala temple's gold plating project after finding that plates sent for work in 2019 returned with four kg less gold than in the records.
Kerala's leader of opposition VD Satheeshan from Congress questioned the handling of the Sabarimala temple in Kerala by Pinarayi Vijayan's government ahead of Ayyappa Sangamam on Friday.
The controversy began when the Board removed the gold-plated copper plates covering the 'Dwarapalaka idols' without prior intimation or approval from the Sabarimala Special Commissioner or the Court for repair and electroplating.
The temple's reception of the procession carrying the 'Thiruvabharnam (sacred jewels of Lord Ayappa)' is the most important event in the hill shrine on the day of Makaravilakku.
The reception of the 'Thiruvabharnam (sacred jewels of Lord Ayappa)' procession at Sabarimala is the most important event in the hill shrine on Makaravilakku. The sacred jewels arrive in three separate boxes.
Taking to his official handle on X, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, "GoK has approved the layout plan for Sabarimala, Pampa, and the trek route developed in line with the Sabarimala master plan. With an estimate of Rs 778.17 crore, the blueprint envisages dividing the area into 8 zones
It is customary for devotees to wait in Parnasalas from the 10th to see the Jyoti. For this reason, preparations are in progress to avoid the crowd that may arise on Makaravilakku day.
The temple opened its doors on November 15 to mark the start of the annual Mandala-Makaravilakku festival, marking the beginning of the annual pilgrimage season.
The Swami Chatbot, launched by the Pathanamthitta district administration in Kerala, has received an immensely positive response from pilgrims visiting the Sabrimala temple. The Chatbot, which became active on November 15, aims to make the pilgrimage experience better by equipping thousands
According to police, the bus, which was carrying 45 people, including two children was on is way back to Hunsur in Mysore after their visit to the Sabarimala temple when it met with the accident. The mishap took place around 6 am.
Kerala ADGP S Sreejith has said that the police are fully prepared for crowd management during the Mandala-Makaravilakku season which began on Friday with the opening of Sabarimala temple.