More than 2.5 lakh pilgrims have visited Lord Ayappa Temple at Sabrimala in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district in the first six days of the ongoing pilgrimage season, said Kerala Devaswom Department Minister K Radhakrishnan on Wednesday.

The 41-day Mandala season begins today with the start of the month of Vrishchikam of Malayalam calendar and will end on December 27. Live booking facilities have been set up for the devotees, who could not book their darshan slots via online mode.

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], January 13 (ANI): After officially announcing his Hindi remake of Lokesh Kanagaraj's Tamil film 'Kaithi', actor Ajay Devgn visited Kerala's famous Sabrimala Temple to offer his prayers to Lord Ayyappa.

Kochi Dec 27 PTI The Kerala High Court has directed the state government to take necessary steps to ensure that necessary medical facilities are provided to the pilgrims during the Mandala-Makaravilakku festival season at Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala A bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and P G Ajithkumar said if there was any shortfall or deficiency in the facilities provided at the emergency medical and cardiology centres etc the Special Commissioner of Sabarimala shall bring it to the notice of this court by filing a report seeking appropriate orders The directions by the bench came while hearing a petition initiated by it on its own based on a report by the Special Commissioner Sabarimala highlighting the need for medical facilities being made available on the Neelimala-Appachimedu route if it is opened to the Lord Ayyappa temple The court decided to dispose of the petition after District Medical Officer Health and the Special Commissioner Sabarimala submitted reports stating that steps have already been taken to post sufficient number of doctors and other medical personnel at the emergency medical and cardiology centres on the recently opened Neelimala - Appachimedu trek route to the temple Having considered the report of the Special Commissioner and also the working report of the District Medical OfficerHealth we deem it appropriate to dispose of this report with a direction to the respondents to take necessary steps to ensure that necessary medical facilities are provided to the pilgrims during Mandala-Makaravilakku festival season In case there is any shortfall or deficiency in the medical facilities provided at the emergency medical centres cardiology centres etc the Special Commissioner Sabarimala shall bring it to the notice of this court by filing report seeking appropriate orders the bench said PTI HMP ROH ROH

Kochi (Kerala) [India], November 17 (ANI): The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed Sabarimala Special Commissioner M Manoj to submit a report on a petition alleging that spoiled Halal-certified jaggery powder was used for the preparation of 'Nivedyam and 'Prasadam' at the temple.

Kochi Nov 17 PTI In the wake of news reports that halal jaggery was being used to prepare Aravana and appam for distribution at the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala a plea was moved in Kerala High Court on Wednesday for stopping its use forthwith The high court sought a report on the issue from the Special Commissioner Sabarimala by Thursday The petitioner S J R Kumar sought directions to the Travancore Devaswom Board TDB and the Commissionerate of Food Safety 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 Nivedyamprasad 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 The issue assumes importance as the two-month-long annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage to offer prayers at the Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala has commenced and devotees in the thousands would be arriving there during this period During the hearing of the plea the Travancore Devaswom Board TDB and the Commissionerate of Food Safety Kerala told a bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and P G Ajithkumar that the quality of the jaggery used for making Unniyappam and Aravana was being tested in the laboratory at Pampa They also told the court that the quality of the two sweet dishes were being tested in the laboratory at Sannidhanam before distributing the same to the devotees They said that a statement on behalf of the Secretary of TDB and instructions from the Commissionerate of Food Safety Kerala would be placed before the court on Thursday In view of the submissions the court listed the matter for hearing on November 18 PTI HMP APR APR

Kochi Oct 28 PTI The state government and the police on Thursday told the Kerala High Court that they had no interest in taking over powers of the Travancore Devaswom Board TDB which is the trustee of the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala and the virtual queue system was put in place in 2011 for crowd control on orders of the court Reiterating its submissions made before the court earlier the state government told a bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and P G Ajithkumar that the virtual queue was put in place back in 2011 after a stampede at the temple had claimed more than a 100 lives The government said the TDB also wants the virtual queue system to be used for the benefit of the pilgrims and added that neither it nor the police have taken over the powers of the Board The state government also said that it was willing to carry out any modification in the system as may be suggested by the court The bench was hearing a PIL initiated by it The PIL is based on a detailed order of July 1 of the high court for considering the question -- whether the virtual queue system for Sabarimala pilgrimage can be entrusted to the Travancore Devaswom Board as has been done by other Devaswoms The court listed the matter for further hearing on November 1 On October 21 the bench had asked what power does the state government or police have to impose a virtual queue system for devotees pilgrimage to Sabarimala and whether such a mechanism has been put in place on court orders The court was also of the view that the Travancore Devaswom Board as the temple trustee should be the one to bring about any such regulation PTI HMP BN BN