Pandalam to Host Sabarimala Protection Sangamam on Monday
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Pathanamthitta: Just days after the Travancore Devaswom Board organised the Global Ayyappa Sangamam at Pampa, Sabarimala Karma Samithi at Pandalam is preparing to host another major gathering of Ayyappa devotees on Monday - Sabarimala Protection Summit/Sangamam.
The Sabarimala Protection Seminar will be held at the Nanak Convention Centre, Pandalam, from 9 a.m., focusing on the themes of faith, security, and development.
In the afternoon, at 3 p.m., a Devotees’ Meet will take place at Swami Ayyappan Nagar (Sreevatsavam Parking Ground).
Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai will inaugurate the Sabarimala Protection Summit at 3 p.m., while BJP leader and MP Tejaswi Surya is also set to address the conclave.
According to E.S. Biju, spokesperson of the Hindu Aikya Vedi, the event will be attended by representatives of more than 120 community organisations, along with members of the Sabarimala Tantri family and around 25 Hindu monks. Proceedings will begin with a seminar on “Devotion, Development, and Safety at Sabarimala”, expected to draw nearly 1,000 delegates. The evening session, he said, is likely to witness a crowd of over 10,000 participants.
Unlike the recent Pampa Sangamam, this mobilisation by Sangh Parivar-affiliated groups takes the form of a protest, aimed at resisting what they call “attempts by the Left government to thwart the hill temple and its devotees.”
Pandalam Palace’s Position
The spotlight is also on the Pandalam Palace, which abstained from the Global Ayyappa Sangamam. The Palace had cited post-ritual obligations following the demise of two family members as the reason for its absence, while also voicing discontent over the non-withdrawal of cases filed during the 2018 Sabarimala agitation against the Supreme Court’s verdict on women’s entry. Whether it will participate in Monday’s summit remains uncertain.
Other organisations such as the Tantri Samajam and Yogakshema Sabha have raised similar demands, but their attendance at the meeting is yet to be confirmed.
Stronghold of BJP
Pandalam, a key municipality in Pathanamthitta, is one of only two civic bodies in Kerala currently ruled by the BJP. The party captured Pandalam in the 2020 local body polls, largely riding the momentum of the 2018 protests, and has since retained power in neighbouring Kulanada panchayat as well.
It now remains to be seen whether this new mobilisation by Sangh Parivar groups will garner the same level of traction as the 2018 agitation.
Sangh Parivar-affiliated groups organised an event in Pandalam in the wake of a similar meeting at Pampa under the TDB aegis, which they termed an ‘attempt by the LDF government to thwart Ayyappa devotees.’ In the 2020 local body elections, the BJP won Pandalam largely on the momentum gained from the 2018 Sabarimala protests.”