Sabarimala Padi pooja scandal: TDB staff, benamis named in vigilance report
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Sabarimala gold theft case has triggered widespread concern across Kerala, with the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau’s (VACB) intelligence wing warning of deep-rooted corruption and irregularities at the hill shrine, particularly in the allotment of the highly sought-after padi pooja offering.
In a source report, the intelligence wing has called for sustained and focused action to eliminate malpractices at Sabarimala, alleging that these were carried out with the active connivance of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) staff and their agents.
According to the report, accessed by media sources, 18 types of poojas and 39 kinds of offerings are performed at the shrine. Vigilance officials found that TDB staff had intervened in several rituals for monetary gain. In the case of padi pooja, bookings are reportedly full until 2041.
The report states that most of these slots were cornered by TDB staff and their benamis and later resold to devotees at exorbitant prices. While the official rate of padi pooja is Rs 1.37 lakh, devotees were allegedly charged up to 10 times the amount. To conceal the fraud, the names of the actual devotees who paid for the ritual were not entered in official records. It was also found that many who booked padi pooja in the past five years did not perform the ritual, with slots instead being auctioned to higher bidders.
Similar irregularities were flagged in rituals such as thanka anki charthu and ashtabhishekam (both fully booked until 2035), and sahasrakalasham (booked until 2030). The same pattern was reportedly seen in udayasthamana pooja, pushpabhishekam and kalasabhishekam.
The intelligence report also pointed to large-scale irregularities in the allotment of rooms at Sannidhanam. Devaswom guards and security personnel were accused of accepting money from affluent devotees in exchange for facilitating VIP-style darshan.
Call for probe into temporary appointments
The report makes serious allegations against TDB staff, accusing them of acting as agents for travel operators by arranging premium accommodation, faster darshan, and pooja slots in return for extra payment.
It also calls for a detailed probe into temporary appointments at Sabarimala, noting that several individuals have been repeatedly engaged on a temporary basis over the past decade.
Additionally, the vigilance intelligence wing flagged corruption in tender procedures at the shrine, drawing parallels with irregularities in the sale of Adiya Shistam Ghee. Serious doubts were also raised about the conduct of annadanam, citing the lack of clear records on the number of beneficiaries.