Traditional Kerala 'Sadya' to be served for Ayyappa devotees from December 2

Sabarimala: Lakhs of devotees who arrive at the holy Sabarimala temple bearing the extreme weather will now be able to get to get the taste of Kerala traditional ‘Sadya’ or the feast instead of the ‘Pulav’ that was served until now.

Travancore Devaswom Board president K Jayakumar announced that the annadanam (free meal) at the Sannidhanam will resume from Tuesday with Sadya being served in steel plates.

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The decision has been welcomed by many Sabarimala community groups including the Ayyappa Seva Sangam.

“We welcome the decision by the new Devaswom president and its members as this wil be a refreshing change for the devotees who are already tired after walking barefoot for kilometres in the steep hills from Pampa”, said Padmanabhan, member of Seva Sangam, Chenganoor.

Implementing this comes with certain practical challenges, which will be addressed, Jayakumar further said. He said that the matter will be discussed again at the board meeting on Saturday.

While serving sadya on leaves was considered, it is not practical. Disposing of used leaves is difficult, and using an incinerator is also not feasible. Hence, utensils with compartments have been chosen.

Arrangements are underway to ensure the availability of all necessary items. Adequate staff with experience will be required for sadya preparation and serving.

The sadya will include seven items such as rice, lentils, sambar, aviyal, pickle, thoran, pappadam and payasam. There are plans to vary the payasam every day.

Currently, around 4,000 people participate in the annadanam daily. With proper arrangements, the number of participants is expected to increase.