A regular pilgrim to Sabarimala for 30 years, Senthil Velu (64), a devotee from Tamil Nadu’s Tiruchi, boasted he had ‘darshan’ of his favorite deity more than eight times this time in the six-hour stay allowed by the police at the hilltop shrine. While happy, for he never had such an opportunity on earlier visits, he in the same breath said that he never wanted this to happen again.

Chanting of hymns (Swami Saranam) and winding queues are missing and divine atmosphere has given way to mutual suspicion and tension, he said. Velu also said he never witnessed a deserted ‘valiya nada pandal’ (main hall beneath 18 holy steps for pilgrims to rest). The police turned the area wet using jet pipes recently to avoid pilgrims waiting there, inviting sharp comments from the Kerala High Court.

“Since I am a ‘guru swami’ (a pilgrim who trekked the most), I told my fellow pilgrims not to chant ‘saranam’ everywhere since prohibitory orders were in place. Once you don black and wear ‘mala’ (bead), you are known as a swami but this time pilgrims are scared to greet other swamis,” he lamented.

Velu’s sentiments were not isolated. Most of the pilgrims who had ‘darshan’ at the temple in last six days of the annual pilgrimage season at temple, nestled in Western Ghats region of of Pathanamthitta district, shared the same view. “We take pilgrimage for peace and spiritual solace. If both are missing, what is the point,” asked the guru swami of 110-odd pilgrims who came from Maharashtra’s Kalyan while calling off their plan to trek to the temple.

At the top of the temple, it is written prominently “tat va masi” (a Sanskrit phrase meaning “you are that or that you are”) said another pilgrims, adding for most who trek to Sabarimala, it is a ‘tapasya’ ( an austere move for self-discipline and salvation). But the police build up, prohibitory orders and enveloping tension spoiled this, he said adding the government and judiciary had let them down.

Amid the standoff between the government and protestors over the entry of women at Sabarimala, the footfall of pilgrims dipped drastically compared to earlier years. According to the Travancore Dewasom Board, the autonomous body that runs the temple, there is a 70 per cent dip in pilgrims and revenue in first six days. Last time, 4 lakh pilgrims visited in six days but this time, the numbers came down 90,000, said a TDB official adding revenue also came down.

Tour operators said there were mass cancellations due to the prevailing situation as the state had witnessed two shutdowns in a month over the temple. Tourism mandarins also cry foul saying their attempts to retrieve from the worst floods of the century, which ravaged the state in August, were affected. Like devotees, they also prayed for an early settlement of the impasse.

Meanwhile, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader alleged that an IPS officer had slighted Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan, who offered prayers at the temple, by trying to block his vehicle on his return. “SP Yatish Chandra was arrogant and raised his voice when the minister asked about the private vehicle restriction in the area. While coming back, his convoy was blocked under suspicion that some protestors were travelling with him,” said BJP general secretary V N Radhakrishnan.

Police, however, denied this. “The minister’s car was never blocked and searched,” said Kottayam SP Harishankar, in-charge of Pambha base camp.

Later in the evening, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan called on governor P Sathasivam to apprise him of the situation in Sabarimala. “The CM assured the Governor that action will be taken to ensure a smooth pilgrimage in Sabarimala,” a communique from Raj Bhawan said.

First Published: Nov 22, 2018 23:53 IST