Devotees advised not to skip rituals

Mlore hosts State conference of Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sangham

Addressing a gathering at the State Conference of Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sangham (ABASS) organised by its State Council of Karnataka at the Town Hall here on Sunday, Raja said that many devotees do not follow the ‘Irumudi’ ritual as per tradition.

“It is illogic that many devotees perform the Irumudi ritual either near Pampa river or near the Ayyappa shrine in Shabarimala. All devotees must complete the Irumuddi ritual at their homes or at any nearby temples before starting the pilgrimage,” he said and advised devotees to read the ancient book ‘Bhootanatha Sarvaswam,’ which specifies how to go to Shabarimala and what rituals should be followed by devotees.  

Similarly, he said, “there are lot of differences between the rituals being performed by the devotees of Kerala and other parts of the nation. The ABASS should take initiative to create awareness on the rituals throughout the nation.”

He said that though lakhs of devotees throng Shabarimala Temple every year, many do not know the history and legend related to Lord Ayyappa and Shabarimala. Talking about recent development works in Shabarimala, Raja criticised that the authorities are implementing changes only for the sake of changes.

“They constructed a Ganapathi Temple at Pampa, which is not a part of Lord Ayyappa legend,” he added.  Explaining about the ABASS, Raja said that the Sangha was formed with an objective of helping devotees in 1940s. Earlier, Sangha members were helping devotees by providing water and health facilities. Now there are more responsibilities before the Sangha, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, former MP and ABASS Central Committee President Thennala G Balakrishna Pillai said that the Sangha members should work in grass-root level to create awareness on legends of Lord Ayyappa.

ABASS Andhra Pradesh Organising Secretary P K K Panikkar, Conference Committee Chairman Ajithkumar Rai Maladi, Special Commissioner for Shabarimala M Rajendran Nair, ABASS Central Committee General Secretary N Shrinivasan, Udayavani Daily News Bureau Chief Manohar Prasad, former MP Vinaykumar Sorake and others were present.