THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Pilgrims visiting Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala can soon enjoy delicious "Kerala sadya" as part of traditional 'annadanam (free food)', the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) said on Tuesday.
TDB president K Jayakumar said pulao and sambar were earlier served at the hill shrine as part of annadanam, which was not appropriate for devotees. So, the Board decided to replace it with Kerala sadya with 'payasam' (sweet pudding) and pappad, he told reporters here.
"Money for annadanam is not taken from the Devaswom Board. It is the fund entrusted to the Board by the devotees to provide good food to the Lord Ayyappa pilgrims," Jayakumar said after a board meeting here.
He said it is a good decision taken by the Board, which has the responsibility to ensure the quality of annadanam at Sabarimala.
He also said the decision taken by the Board has already been conveyed to the respective officials and it is expected to come into effect from Wednesday or Thursday.
The TDB president said a review meeting will be convened on December 18 to discuss the Sabarimala masterplan and take necessary decisions in connection with the preparations for the annual pilgrimage next year.
The preparations for the next year's pilgrimage season will begin by February 2026, he added.
Though there were some issues in the initial days of the ongoing pilgrimage season, everything is going smoothly in Sabarimala at present, he added.