Welcoming pilgrims to the sacred grove of Sabarimala during this year’s Mandalam-Makaravilakku festival will be fragrant blooms of wide and vibrant varieties.
Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has decided to launch a project to grow flowers needed for rituals (puja) at the Lord Ayyappa temple and its associated shrines around the holy hillock, P. Venugopal, Devaswom Commissioner, and Subhash Vasu, TDB member, say.
The idea is to set up flower gardens at Pampa, Sabarimala, and on either side of the trekking path to the shrine.
A young Ayyappa devotee, Karthik Narayan of the Bangalore-based Sabari Consultants, has been entrusted with the task of setting up the flower gardens in a time-bound manner.
Mr Narayan and his 31-member team of skilled workers have already started work on the garden project.
The aim is to be ready with the project when the Ayyappa Temple opens for the Onam festival on September 14, Mr Vasu says.
Sabari Consultants has also offered voluntary service in setting up the flower gardens. The group will also be entrusted with the proper upkeep and periodic maintenance of the gardens.
Gardens
At Pampa, the proposed mega garden project will come up at the vacant land around the Pampa Devaswom Guest House and on either side of the steps leading to the Maha Ganapthi Temple complex. It will be called Sabari Saran Poonkavanom.
Sabari garden
At the entrance of Sabarimala Sannidhanam, the garden will named Sabari Garden.
Besides, this flowering plants will adorn both sides of the five-kilometre Pampa-Sannidhanam trekking path.
According to Mr. Venugopal, no construction activity is required for the garden project, which will be in perfect unison with the serene forest environs of the sacred grove or ( poonkavanam) as Sabarimala is famously called.
The garden project will also add a special fragrance to Sabarimala.
It will also help the authorities to keep the pilgrim centre clean and making the pilgrims self-disciplined to a certain extent, he adds.
Nearly one lakh saplings of 18 varieties of plants have been brought from Bangalore for planting them at Sabarimala and Pampa.
Flowers
The saplings to be planted are two varieties of Tulsi , four varieties of Koovalom , Chethi , Mulla , Chembarathy , Nandyarvattom , four varieties of Arali , Pichi , Asoka , and two varieties of Mandarom .
Protecting garden
The TDB officials have suggested setting up of eco-friendly guards and climate controllers around the saplings to protect the saplings.
Former Special Commissioner appointed by the Kerala High Court S.H. Panchapakesan had initiated a similar garden project in 2011.
