Stale aravana stock at Sabarimala to be destroyed: Devaswom Board faces Rs 7.80 crore loss

Pathanamthitta: The stale Aravana, a sweet offering (made with raw red rice, jaggery, and ghee) at Sabarimala, will soon be destroyed before the upcoming pilgrimage season. The Devaswom Board has approved a tender for this, which will lead to a massive loss of Rs 7.80 crore for the board. The Aravana will be removed from Sannidhanam once the Devaswom Board signs the contract with the selected company. The damaged Aravana will then be used as fertiliser.

The Aravana has been stored at Sabarimala for over a year and a half after being found to contain pesticides above permissible levels. On January 11, 2023, the High Court prohibited the sale of this Aravana. However, the Devaswom Board approached the Supreme Court, and the petitioner could not prove that the cardamom added to the Aravana had excess pesticides, resulting in the case being dismissed. Despite this, the board decided against distributing the damaged Aravana to devotees due to the fact that it had been stored for so long.

Initially valued at Rs 6.65 crore, the Aravana could not be sold, leading to the decision to destroy it instead. The contract for the destruction has been given to Indian Centrifuge Engineering Solutions Company based in Ettumanoor, which quoted Rs 1.15 crore, the lowest bid among three competitors.

Aravana stored near Malikappuram temple

The stale Aravana is currently stored in a large hall near the Malikappuram temple. With the pilgrimage season beginning on November 16, the Aravana will be removed from the Sannidhanam area. The delay in the destruction process was caused by both the tender procedures and the logistics of disposing of the Aravana. Initially, there were plans to destroy it in the forest, but forest regulations prevented this.

The tender process faced challenges, with Hindustan Latex being the first to respond. However, since only one company submitted a bid, the tender was reopened, leading to three companies, including Hindustan, participating in the bidding. Ultimately, Indian Centrifuge Engineering Solutions was selected for the task.