Sabarimala temple gold lockets worth over Rs 3 crore sold in a week

Sabarimala, May 15 (IANS) The sale of gold lockets with the picture of Lord Ayyappa drew a tremendous response, with the Travancore Devasom Board (TDB) earning over Rs 3 crore in just one week.

The gold lockets are blessed at the sanctum sanctorum of the famed temple on a hilltop in the Pathanamthitta district.

The TDB, which manages the temple affairs, pointed out that in a week, 56 sovereigns of gold were used to make 184 gold lockets, which come in three varieties.

The two-gram gold locket found the maximum buyers, as 155 people purchased it, followed by the four-gram gold locket bought by 22 people, while seven people opted for the eight-gram gold locket.

The TDB pointed out that orders can be made online through the ww.sabarimalaonline.org website or can be booked in the temple office.

The two-gram locket costs Rs 19,300, the four-gram Rs 38,600, and the eight-gram costs Rs 77,200.

Situated on the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats at an altitude of 3,000 feet above sea level, the famed Sabarimala temple is a four km uphill trek from Pampa in the Pathanamthitta district, which is around 100 km from the Kerala capital.

Currently, girls and women between the ages of 10 and 50 are not allowed entry into the hilltop shrine.

The temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa is accessible only on foot from the Pampa River.

As per practice, before setting off to the holy shrine, a pilgrim normally undertakes an intense 41-day penance where he/she does not wear footwear, dons a black dhoti/black top and sticks to strict vegetarian food.

Every pilgrim carries 'lrumudi' on his/her head, which is a prayer kit that contains coconuts which are broken just before climbing the 18 steps to the shrine.

Without it, no one is allowed to step onto the holy 18 steps at the 'Sannidhanam'.

Over the years, some traditions at the famed temple have changed.

While for many years, this temple used to open only in the second half of November and close around the middle of January, it is now open for a few days at the beginning of every Malayalam month.

--IANS

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