TDB awaits confirmation of President's visit
Amid media reports that President Droupadi Murmu will visit Sabarimala on May 19 as previously scheduled, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) is awaiting official confirmation before initiating arrangements.
'As of now, what we know is that the President is not visiting,' said a TDB official, while acknowledging that they had received a message late Monday suggesting that the visit to the hill shrine might still be on. 'Based on that information, we convened a meeting on Tuesday morning but there is still no clarity. If the confirmation comes through, we will proceed with the necessary arrangements as directed by the security agencies,' the official added.
The President had earlier planned to visit Sabarimala on May 19 to offer prayers during the Idavam monthly poojas. In anticipation, the TDB and the State government had begun preparations, including infrastructure development around the Nilakkal helipad and road improvements. However, once it was communicated that the visit had been cancelled, all related activities were put on hold.
The TDB had initially suspended virtual queue bookings for May 18 and 19 in view of the proposed visit. However, it later lifted the restrictions and resumed bookings for those dates. The temple is slated to open for the five-days long monthly poojas on Wednesday and will close down on May 19 night.
The last visit by a sitting President to Sabarimala was on April 10, 1973, when President V.V. Giri made his way to the hill shrine. The visit was notable not only for its ceremonial significance but also for the tangible developments that followed. Mr. Giri had previously visited Sabarimala in 1962 during his tenure as Governor of Kerala, accompanied by his wife, Saraswati Giri.
Acting on Giri's intervention, additional forest land was sanctioned for the expansion of Sabarimala, leading to major infrastructure projects. The route he travelled from Chalakayam to Pampa was later developed into the Chalakayam-Pampa Road, which serves as a vital artery for devotees.
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