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Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 25 (IANS) The Kerala High Court-appointed SIT has arrested six top officials associated with the Sabarimala temple and the investigation is still underway. In a significant decision aimed at enhancing the spiritual and hospitality experience for pilgrims, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has announced a complete revamp of the ‘Annadanam’ menu.
Newly appointed board chairman K. Jayakumar on Tuesday said the traditional offering of pulao and sambar has now been replaced by full Kerala-style sadya, which includes pappadam, payasam and other authentic dishes.
After the TDB meeting, Jayakumar said, “This is not the Devaswom Board’s money; this is the contribution of devotees to feed fellow pilgrims in the best possible way. Hence, we have decided to serve an authentic Kerala sadya made from quality ingredients.”
This decision was taken on Tuesday and will be implemented in the coming days.
He also confirmed that Annadanam services at Pampa will be improved, and work is underway on a comprehensive master plan to upgrade the pilgrimage infrastructure.
A review meeting is to be held on December 18.
The announcement has been made amid huge rush during the Mandala-Makaravilakku season, in which thousands of Ayyappa devotees head towards Sabarimala every day.
Despite the surge, the Devaswom board says all arrangements for Sukhdarshanam (comfortable and organized darshan) are running smoothly.
Annadanam Hall at Malikappuram, behind the temple, is one of the largest halls in Asia and serves free food to over 10,000 pilgrims daily.
This number has already crossed one lakh since the temple opened for the current session.
Meals are served three times a day: breakfast (upma, chana curry, dry ginger coffee and boiled water) from 6 am to 11 am, lunch from 12 pm to 3.30 pm (currently pulao, dal curry, pickle, soon to be replaced with sadya), and dinner from 6.45 pm until temple closing, consisting of porridge and boiled tubers (asthram).
Sunil Kumar, the special officer who oversees Annadanam, said that despite the high turnout, the food is served efficiently, hygienically and without any complaints.
A total of 235 employees are deployed for cooking, serving and cleaning.
To maintain hygiene standards the plates and glasses washed by the pilgrims are cleaned again using a dishwasher with hot water.
The upgraded ‘Sadya’ menu is expected to significantly improve the devotional and cultural experience of the pilgrims, in line with the traditional hospitality of Kerala.
–IANS
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