The President of India ‘owns’ a building at Sabarimala; here’s the backstory

Pathanamthitta: A building located within the Sabarimala Sannidhanam is officially registered in the name of the President of India, according to official records. The building currently houses the BSNL exchange and office.

The ownership was registered in 1978, when 40 cents of land were leased to BSNL for 99 years by the Forest Department as part of central government procedures. The registration was done under the President’s name in accordance with norms applicable to properties held by central agencies, with the President being the constitutional head of the union.

Aside from the Forest Department and the Travancore Devaswom Board, BSNL is the only other agency with a building registered in an official name at the Sannidhanam.

Initially, BSNL began operations at Sabarimala with just 30 connections, functioning out of a Travancore Devaswom Board building near Malikappuram. The current building was constructed at a cost of ₹1 lakh on land leased from the Forest Department.

The BSNL office functions year-round and falls under the control of the Transmission Divisional Engineer based in Pathanamthitta.

The Sannidhanam exchange is currently considered one of BSNL’s top-performing models, especially in terms of its optical fiber connectivity (FTTH), which plays a key role in maintaining communication during the pilgrimage season.