A new controversy has arisen in the state of Kerala after a man from Tamil Nadu trespassed in Ponnambalamedu area near Sabarimala.
In this regard, in a video that has been circulated on social media, a person is seen walking 4 km to the Sabarimala Ayyappan temple. He is sitting on a platform in the distant Ponnambalamedu area. He chants mantras and performs some puja rituals.
Apart from that person, four other people are present in the scene. The video also has pictures of the Sabarimala temple taken from there.
As far as Ayyappa devotees are concerned, Ponnambalamedu area is a highly revered holy place.
At the end of the Ayyappan temple pilgrimage, Makara lamp is lit in the area itself.
Ponnambalamedu, a highly protected area located in dense forest, is under the control of the Kerala State Forest Department.
Travancore Devaswam Board Chairman K. Anantha Gopan said regarding the issue of trespassing by some people in the Ponnambalamedu area:
This is an emotional issue for Ayyappa devotees. We will soon file a complaint with the state police chief and wildlife welfare chief regarding the matter.
The person featured in the relevant video has been identified as Narayanasamy. He worked as a temporary assistant to Kilasanthi a few years ago at the Sabarimala temple. He was fired for bad behavior. How can people including him trespass into the highly protected Ponnambalamedu area? Forest Department officials are responsible for this. The forest department could not accept the claim that they might have come to the place in a different way.
It can be understood that the person has planned all this to spoil the sanctity of the Sabarimala Ayyappan temple. It is suspected that he entered Ponnambalamedu area four days ago. However, he said he could not confirm the date of the incident.
Meanwhile, sources in the forest department said, “A case has been registered in connection with this incident and the investigation is going on.”