The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) carried out a day-long cleaning at Sabarimala, Pampa, and on the trekking path on Sunday. As many as 1000 VHP-Bajrang Dal volunteers, including 150 women, took part in the programme.
Inaugurating the programme at Pampa, Kummanam Rajashekharan, VHP vice-president, called upon pilgrims to preserve Sabarimala, which houses 18 hills, by keeping it clean. He said each Ayyappa devotee had the responsibility to protect Sabarimala and ensure utmost cleanliness there. They need not wait for a government initiative in this regard.
Mr. Rajashekharan said keeping Sabarimala clean too was part of devotees’ penance for the pilgrimage. Each Ayyappa devotee was supposed to contribute to the protection of the Sabarimala forests, he said. Mr. Rajashekharan said the Pampa river, which the devotees considered holy, should be kept clean. The Rs.423-crore Centre-sponsored Pampa Action Plan to clean up the Pampa should be implemented without delay, he said.
VHP State organising secretary M.D. Valsan inaugurated the cleaning drive at Sabarimala Sannidhanam. The late Swami Chinmayananda, renowned seer and a founder of the VHP, was the first to have mooted the ‘Punyam Poonkavanam’ concept to keep Sabarimala clean and verdant. The VHP volunteers completed the cleaning operation by 6 p.m.
P.K. Bhaskaran, VHP vice-president, presided over the function. P.G. Kannan, Bajrang Dal State co-ordinator, and Narayanan Unni, vice-president, spoke.
Sabarimala Sanitation Society workers cleaned the giant fireplace (Aazhi) at the Lower Tirumuttom at Sabarimala with the help of Fire and Rescue Services personnel on Sunday.
