Gold crown of 55 sovereigns is safe in Sabarimala, confirms to be in strong room

PATHANAMTHITTA: The Travancore Devaswom Board has clarified that the gold crown, which was suspected to have gone missing from Sabarimala, is safe. Thiruvabharanam Commissioner R Rejilal inspected the crown in person at the strong room in Aranmula and confirmed its presence, according to a report submitted to the devaswom board. The report states that the crown was verified the other day. An official report regarding the matter was submitted by noon.

The crown was previously kept in the strong room at Sabarimala Sannidhanam. The information that the golden crown was missing came to light during an inventory of the Thiruvabharanam (sacred ornaments), conducted as per the directions of the high court. The crown was donated by devotees from Tamil Nadu in 2012. It is reportedly believed that a replica crown made of imitation gold, with the same size and design, is presently in the strong room. It also has white stones resembling diamonds in it. When the crown was donated by the devotees, its total weight was 445.78 grams.

However, the imitation crown weighs only 240 grams. The inventory of valuables at Sabarimala was initiated under the supervision of high court amicus curiae Justice K T Shankaran in the wake of the Sabarimala gold theft. The controversy that followed has now come to an end.

Meantime, Travancore Devaswom Board president K Jayakumar detailed the arrangements being made for the upcoming Sabarimala pilgrimage at the press meet convened. AI cameras will be used this time to manage parking and control the movement of devotees. The decision was taken following discussions held with the police. The police will handle the arrangements, which are estimated to cost Rs 5 crore. An AI camera hub will be set up near the parking ground at Nilakkal. The 26 parking lots at Nilakkal will be divided into 13 sections for better management. The board has also appointed a liaison officer to coordinate matters involving the police and the health department.

The tender procedures for maintenance work in Sabarimala have been completed. The works are estimated to cost Rs 13.5 crore, including electrical works worth Rs 6.7 crore. The work will begin soon after the completion of the tender procedures. All the works will be completed before October 31. To prevent complaints regarding maintenance works at the Sannidhanam and to ensure quality inspections, the board has formed a quality assurance team comprising external experts. The team will inspect the works in the coming days.

Renovation work is presently underway at the Aravana plant in Sannidhanam. Presently, 2.6 lakh tins of Aravana are being produced daily in accordance with food safety regulations. Efforts are underway to increase production by another one lakh tins, taking the daily production capacity to 3.6 lakh tins. The devaswom board president assured that a buffer stock of 75 lakh tins of Aravana will be available when the temple opens for the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season.

K Jayakumar informed that the tender procedures for materials including jaggery and dry ginger required for Aravana production are underway, and an official will visit the L1 company in Pune tomorrow for an inspection regarding this. The contract for the supply of jaggery will be signed by October 5. A re-tendering process is being carried out for the supply of dry ginger. All contracts will be signed by October 15, he said.