Summary:
SABARIMALA: A tense Makaravilakku pilgrimage season of the Sree Dharmasastha Temple here ended on Saturday.The dip in number of pilgrims visiting the hilltop shrine, affected the revenue of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which decreased by Rs 95.65 crore, compared to the previous season. Attempts by several women to offer prayers at the temple made the season tense with BJP, RSS and other pro-Hindu groups preventing them from trekking to the temple. Sabarimala Karma Samithi is organizing an Ayyappa bhakta sangamam (congregation of Ayyappa devotees) here on Sunday. Meanwhile, a new body, Kshetrachara Samrakshana Samithi headed by Pandalam palace representative P G Sasikumara Varma was formed for the protection of tradition of all temples in Kerala “We will continue our struggles against the state government until the rights of devotees are upheld,’’ party state president P S Sreedharan Pillai said..