German Tent to Accommodate Over 6,000 Pilgrims at Pamba Ahead of Sabarimala Pilgrimage Season
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Pamba: Construction of a temporary German tent has begun at Pamba as part of preparations for the upcoming annual Sabarimala pilgrimage season. The facility, being set up on the Pamba riverbed, will provide resting space for more than 6,000 pilgrims at a time.
The construction work has been accelerated ahead of Chief Minister V D Satheesan's scheduled visit to Pamba on October 17 to review the arrangements for the upcoming pilgrimage season. Authorities have stepped up various development and maintenance works at Pamba, Nilakkal and Sannidhanam ahead of the inspection.
The Travancore Devaswom Board is making arrangements to improve resting facilities for the large number of devotees expected to arrive at Pamba during the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season.
The temporary shelter is intended to provide a designated resting area for pilgrims before they begin their trek to Sannidhanam or while waiting at Pamba.
Earlier, the Devaswom Board had prepared a proposal to establish permanent, dismantlable shelters at Pamba and Nilakkal. However, the plan faced obstacles following objections raised by the Forest Department.
As part of the pilgrimage preparations, the Board has also initiated cleaning activities along the Pamba river and its bathing ghats. The work includes removing iron rods, concrete slabs and other hazardous materials from the river and surrounding areas.
The cleaning measures follow an incident during the Kanni Masa poojas in which a pilgrim was injured by an iron rod while bathing in the Pamba river.
Meanwhile, a similar German tent with a capacity to accommodate 6,000 pilgrims is also planned at Nilakkal, the main base camp for Sabarimala pilgrims.
The additional resting facilities at Pamba and Nilakkal are expected to help accommodate the large influx of devotees during the upcoming pilgrimage season.