Thiruvananthapuram: The spotlight has once again fallen on Kerala’s revered Sabarimala — this time not over missing gold, but over the quality of the ghee used in one of the temple’s most sacred rituals.
If the alleged theft of temple gold had raised questions about the security of the shrine’s wealth, the latest revelations have triggered an even deeper concern: the sanctity of the offerings made by millions of devotees.
Ordering a Crime Branch investigation into the alleged irregularities in the supply of ghee, Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan described the findings in the report submitted by Devaswom Secretary Rajamanikyam as shocking and said those responsible would be brought to justice.
The minister termed the episode far more serious than a routine case of food adulteration.
“This is not merely about substandard ghee. It is about deceiving, cheating and exploiting the faith of devotees,” he said.
The Travancore Devaswom Board had entered into an agreement with Milma for the supply of 1.65 lakh litres of ghee for the 2025-26 pilgrimage season.
Of this, 1.5 lakh litres were delivered in 30 batches of 5,000 litres each.
Only six batches could be tested, and all six were reportedly found to be of inferior quality.
The Crime Branch probe will seek to establish whether the alleged tampering or quality compromise occurred before the consignments left the supplier or after they reached Sabarimala.
The investigation will also examine the entire supply chain to identify where responsibility lies.
The controversy comes at a time when the temple administration is still battling questions over the alleged disappearance of gold ornaments, giving rise to an uncomfortable perception that Sabarimala’s sacred assets, both material and spiritual, are increasingly vulnerable.
To restore confidence, the government has announced a series of safeguards.
Every batch of ghee used at Sabarimala will now undergo mandatory quality testing.
Future consignments procured from outside agencies will be digitally tracked from the manufacturing unit to the shrine, with an end-to-end digital movement register documenting every stage of the supply chain.
For millions of Ayyappa devotees, the issue goes beyond administrative lapses.
It touches the very trust with which offerings are made and received.
The Crime Branch investigation is now expected to answer a question that has begun to trouble devotees across the country: how could irregularities of this magnitude find their way into one of Hinduism’s holiest pilgrim centres?
(IANS)
