The Travancore Devaswom Board has initiated legal action over controversies surrounding the prasadam offered at the Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala.
Rumours had surfaced on social media falsely implying that the ‘Aravana Payasam‘ and ‘appam‘, offered as prasadam at the temple, was being supplied by a “Muslim company”, while other reports suggested that ‘halal jaggery’ was being used in preparing the sweet dishes.
The Board, which manages the temple, said it would initiate legal action under relevant sections of the IT Act against those found indulging in “disinformation” on social media forums.
The executive officer of Sabarimala Temple has lodged a complaint with the police at Sannidhanam, seeking registration of a case and action against news portals it says had indulged in propagating “the fake news”.
The controversy over ‘halal jaggery’ reached the Kerala High Court on Wednesday with a petition being moved to stop the use of halal-certified jaggery in Sabarimala Temple prasadam. The petitioner, SJR Kumar, directions to the TDB and the Commissionerate of Food Safety in Kerala “to stop forthwith the distribution of ‘Aravana‘ and ‘appam‘ made of impure halal jaggery and not to use it any further for the preparation of Nivedyam/Prasad at Sabarimala Temple".
‘Aravana‘, a payasam made out of jaggery and rice, and ‘appam‘, a sweet rice and jaggery-based fritter, are prasadam given to devotees at the Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala.
The TDB and the Commissionerate of Food Safety have told the High Court that the quality of jaggery used for making the religious offerings was being tested at the laboratory at Pampa.
The controversy has erupted right at the beginning of the annual two-month-long Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage to offer prayers at the temple.
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