Aravana supply concerns persist as Sabarimala season nears in Keralam

Aravana production in progress at the mechanised plant at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam. (File photo)

With the Sabarimala pilgrimage season less than three weeks away, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) is racing against time to avert a possible shortage of Aravana as a dispute over transportation contracts delays the movement of raw materials to the Sannidhanam.

Unable to reach an agreement with existing transport contractors over rates, the board has invited fresh e-tenders for October 30. “We cannot afford to delay finalising a contract for transporting jaggery and rice to the Sannidhanam, given how close the season is. The State government, too, is keeping a close watch on the progress of preparations,” an official said.

A shortage of the offering a couple of months ago had snowballed into a political controversy, with Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan openly criticising the TDB leadership over the issue.

Buffer stock

According to sources, the board’s buffer stock of Aravana currently stands at around seven lakh tins, far short of its target of at least 50 lakh tins before the season begins. Demand during the annual pilgrimage season averages one lakh tins a day, making timely replenishment crucial.

The transportation bottleneck comes at a time when the Aravana production plant is yet to reach its full capacity following restoration works. The ongoing expansion is expected to raise its daily production capacity to around 3.25 lakh tins.

Supply arrangement

The dispute follows a change in the supply arrangement. Earlier, the company that had been awarded the contract for supplying raw materials, including jaggery and raw rice, was also responsible for transporting them directly to the Sannidhanam. However, following the intervention of Devaswom board president K. Jayakumar, the contractor this season has been asked to deliver the supplies only to Pampa, leaving the board responsible for transporting them to the Sannidhanam.

The revised arrangement was intended to ensure double-checking of the weight and quality of supplies. However, it also necessitated a separate transport contract, the delay in awarding which has complicated preparations for the season.

Ensuring an adequate supply of Aravana throughout the two-month pilgrimage season has long been a challenge for the TDB. During the previous season, the board had to cap sales at 10 tins per devotee after demand outstripped production capacity.

Last year’s revenue

Aravana sales generated more than ₹180 crore in revenue for the board during the previous pilgrimage season, making uninterrupted production and supply crucial to its earnings.

Meanwhile, the Congress-backed Travancore Devaswom Employees Front has opposed the TDB’s decision to set up a Festival Control Room in Thiruvananthapuram for the pilgrimage season. In a statement, the organisation demanded that the facility be shifted to Pathanamthitta, arguing that the board should not incur additional expenditure on new facilities without adequately utilising the infrastructure already available.

Published - October 29, 2026 07:04 pm IST