The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which runs Kerala’s Sabarimala Temple, has said that devotees can reserve the shrine prasad online starting Friday for home delivery by mail. The prasad will be priced at Rs450 and will include aravan payasam (pudding), holy ash, sandalwood paste, turmeric powder, and flowers. Deliveries will begin from November 16, when the temple will open for its three-month seasonal pilgrimage.
TDB officials said that through the home delivery of prasad, they hope to make up for the financial losses the temple has suffered due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
An India Post official said that prasad packages will have a special preference and will be delivered via express mail.
The government has allowed 1,000 pilgrims to visit the shrine daily during the pilgrimage season, but TDB officials said they will not be enough to make up for the losses. He rejected TDB’s request to increase the number of pilgrims.
Kerala reported a high positivity rate of 11.11% as of Thursday against the national average of 6% and 84,087 active cases of Covid-19.
TDB Chairman N Vasu said they hope that the online delivery of prasad will help them overcome the financial crisis. “We have already made elaborate packing arrangements …” He added that the prasad will be delivered in Kerala in two days and up to seven days elsewhere.
The sanctuary opened for the monthly bid last month with strict restrictions. Although 250 pilgrims were allowed per day, the footprint was very low.
The temple was closed for devotees on March 18, a week before the first Covid-19 shutdown took effect.
The income generated by Sabarimala is used to fund smaller temples and to pay the salaries of 3,500 TDS employees.
During the last pilgrimage season from November 2019 to January, the temple earned 263 rupees. 57 crore. Aravana payasam, which is made from rice, brown sugar, ghee, and cardamom, accounts for 60% of the temple’s income.
Pilgrims from five southern Indian states mostly flock to the temple located on Western Ghats in the Pathanamitta district during the annual season. At the peak of the season, at least 500,000 devotees visited the shrine daily.
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