KOCHI: Driving devotees away from

Temple is the reason for the drop in revenue of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), an advocate commissioner appointed by the court said in a report.

The report filed by advocate commissioner ASP Kurup said, “the entire catastrophe of financial crisis is due to the sole reason that the devotees were driven away as if done by an enchanter treating the ghosts.”

TDB’s powers are being usurped by various departments of the state government, resulting in an ineffective administration, the advocate commissioner’s report further said. “Lord Ayyappa is seated at Sabarimala Sannidhanam only for devotees and all over the world and certainly not for the benefit of the Travancore Devaswom Board, Kerala government, police department, KSRTC or any other similar departments. Various groups such as police, KSRTC, forest department and other departments of government gather at Sabarimala and the functions of Travancore Devaswom Board, which is an autonomous body, is usurped and snatched away. The TDB administration became ineffective and continues as a silent spectator,” the report said.

Report of the advocate commissioner also cited extreme hardships faced by devotees due to restrictions put in place by police. Even though adequate parking space is available at Pamba, vehicles carrying devotees are being stopped at Nilackal. They have to walk for kilometres to board KSRTC buses and have to wait for long for the buses to move. Thus, devotees are reaching Pamba after long suffering, the advocate commissioner criticized.

The practice of not allowing devotees to begin climbing the hill until noon on days when the temple opens for monthly poojas is also highlighted by the advocate commissioner. By not allowing devotees to begin their climb from morning, they are being forced to do so when the sun is the hottest. If they are allowed to climb from morning, they can reach the top, take some rest, have a bath, and have a peaceful darshan, the report said.

Additionally, police is subjecting devotees to undue hardships, which has already been noticed by the court, the advocate commissioner has reported. A specific incident where the 86-year-old ‘Periyor Swamy’ of Ambalappuzha Petta Sangham was denied permission to go up in his car and having had to wait for four hours until TDB intervened is also highlighted by the advocate commissioner in the report.