Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has announced in the ‘Global Ayyappa Sangam’ on Saturday (September 20, 2025) that the Lord Ayyappa Temple will be worked on development projects worth more than 1000 crores in the Sabarimala region with the aim of making the pilgrimage more safe and accessible to the devotees.

Vijayan said that developmental activities are being planned to attract Ayyappa devotees from all over the world and the confluence of this confluence organized as part of the 75th anniversary of the Travancore Devaswom Board is to develop Sabarimala as a major pilgrimage site on the lines of Madurai and Tirupati.

To simplify pilgrimage for devotees

He said that a plan will be made to widely develop the traditional route of Sabarimala, Pampa, Nilakkal and Lord Ayyappa Temple, respecting the spiritual and cultural heritage of Sannidhanam. The purpose of this confluence was to find out how the pilgrimage could be simplified for the devotees and to identify the intervention required for it.

Senior Communist leader Vijayan in his speech indirectly criticized the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), referring to the Bhagavad Gita. Both parties had protested against the event of this confluence. He said that according to the sacred book, a true devotee is one who does not hate anyone, is friendly and kind to everyone, is indifferent and tolerant towards happiness and sorrow.

Beyond the boundaries of Sabarimala caste and religion

Vijayan said that the people participating in this confluence were devotees according to the Bhagavad Gita, while others only pretended to be a believer and tried to stop the program. He said, ‘Thankfully, the Supreme Court stopped such efforts.’ The Chief Minister said that Sabarimala is beyond the boundaries of caste and religion and people of all religions go there.

He said that its secular nature is known from the fact that ‘Harivarasanam’ was built by an atheist Devarajan Master and sung by a Christian singer Yesudas. Referring to the disputes arising over the event, the Chief Minister said that some people raised questions on its time and demanded that the administration of the temple be handed over to the devotees and alleged that the government was manipulating money from the Devaswom Board.

Sabarimala will be developed in three phases

He said that this confluence was organized in view of the increasing number of pilgrims and the need to make their journey trouble free. Vijayan said that this confluence was the result of years of discussions, which aims to bring Sabarimala on the map of the global pilgrimage and to solve the problems faced by the devotees coming by air.

He said, “A scientific master plan has been prepared, including Sabari Railways, Sabarimala Airport, Ropeway and other projects.” According to Vijayan, Sabarimala Sannidhanam (temple complex) will be developed in three phases from 2022 to 2039, which will cost Rs 778.17 crore. Under the scheme, Pampa is proposed to develop as a ‘transit camp’, for which more than Rs 200 crore has been allocated in two phases by 2033.

The project of crores included in the Sabarimala Master Plan

He said, “The total estimated cost of development of Sannidhanam, Pampa and Yatra is Rs 1,033.62 crore. In addition, projects worth Rs 314.96 crore have been included in the Sabarimala Master Plan for a period of 2025-2030 to increase basic facilities for pilgrims.

Chairman of ‘Travancore Devaswom Board’ (TDB) P.S. According to Prashant, representatives of 15 countries participated in this program. Along with this, devotees from different states of India also joined it, in which the largest party of about 1,000 devotees came from Tamil Nadu. This program is being done to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the board.

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