Aravana shortage hits Sabarimala as plant remains shut; minister expresses displeasure

SABARIMALA: Aravana and appam supplies have come under severe strain at Sabarimala during the ongoing Kanni month pooja, with pilgrims being given only one tin of aravana each. With the temple scheduled to close on Monday, there may not be enough aravana to provide even one tin to each pilgrim if more devotees arrive.

Devaswom Minister K. Muralidharan telephoned Travancore Devaswom Board president K. Jayakumar and expressed his displeasure over the situation. He criticised the board for failing to maintain an adequate reserve stock of aravana.

The shortage has been attributed to the temporary shutdown of the prasadam production plant for capacity-enhancement work. In previous years, aravana production was not completely stopped even when the plant underwent capacity expansion or maintenance.

During the Kanni month in previous years, between 2.50 lakh and 2.80 lakh tins of aravana were sold. Based on that figure, the board had prepared 3.20 lakh tins as reserve stock before shutting down the plant. However, more than 80 per cent of the stock was exhausted within two days of the temple reopening.

The demand during the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season is considerably higher, with three to four lakh tins sold last year. Production capacity at the time was around 2 lakh to 2.25 lakh tins a day. The shortage was avoided last year because around 50 lakh tins had been produced and kept in reserve before the pilgrimage season began.

Holiday rush upset calculations

The unexpected rise in pilgrim numbers, partly attributed to three consecutive holidays for schools and two for offices, disrupted the board's demand estimates. The possibility of adverse weather conditions from the Thulam month also prompted more pilgrims to advance their visits.

New plant to raise capacity

Work is underway to increase the plant's production capacity to 3.25 lakh tins of aravana a day. The existing facility can produce around 2 lakh to 2.25 lakh tins daily and currently has 26 aravana preparation pans, six cooling chambers and six boilers.

The expansion includes six new aravana preparation pans, two cooling chambers and one boiler.

Aravana takes between 2 hours 45 minutes and 3 hours 30 minutes to become ready after rice is added to boiling jaggery syrup. It is then transferred to cooling tanks before being filled into tins for distribution. Each batch produces between 968 and 1,000 tins.

“The government is monitoring the situation closely. It is the government's responsibility to ensure that devotees do not face difficulties. The Devaswom Board president has assured us that this will not be repeated in the future. The government has no authority to take action against the board,” Muralidharan said.