Days after the Travancore Devaswom Board hosted the Global Ayyappa Sangamam in Pampa, Pathanamthitta is once again poised to become the epicenter of Ayyappa devotee mobilization. This time, the focus shifts to Pandalam, where a major gathering is planned for Monday.
The event, officially titled the Sabarimala Protection Summit, will be inaugurated by K. Annamalai, the former president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu, at 3 p.m. Adding to the political weight, BJP leader and Member of Parliament Tejaswi Surya is also slated to address the attendees.
According to E.S. Biju, a spokesperson for the Hindu Aikya Vedi, the summit anticipates a significant turnout. Representatives from over 120 community organizations, along with members of the esteemed Sabarimala Tantri family and 25 other Hindu monks, are expected to participate. The day will commence with a seminar focused on ‘Devotion, Development, and Safety at Sabarimala,’ drawing an estimated 1,000 delegates. The evening conclave promises an even larger assembly, with over 10,000 individuals projected to attend.
Crucially, this event, orchestrated by groups affiliated with the Sangh Parivar, is designed as a direct protest. Organizers assert it is a stand against what they perceive as the Left government’s deliberate efforts to undermine the revered hill temple and its devoted followers.
Pandalam Palace’s Position
This resurgence of right-wing mobilization bears a striking resemblance to the political momentum the BJP enjoyed during the intense Sabarimala agitation in 2018. A key question now revolves around the Pandalam Palace: will it lend its support to this protest, after conspicuously abstaining from the recent Global Ayyappa Sangamam? The palace had previously cited family mourning rituals for its absence from the Pampa event, but also expressed clear displeasure regarding the government’s failure to withdraw cases filed during the 2018 protests against the Supreme Court’s ruling on women’s entry to the temple.
Several other prominent community organizations, including the Tantri Samajam and the Yogakshema Sabha, have echoed these demands. It remains uncertain which of these influential groups will ultimately join the Pandalam meeting on Monday.
A Powerful Local Presence
Pandalam holds significant symbolic and political importance. As one of only two municipalities in Kerala currently under BJP rule, its local political landscape was heavily shaped by the 2018 Sabarimala protests. The party’s victory in Pandalam during the 2020 local body elections, and its continued hold on the neighboring Kulanada panchayat, underscore the enduring impact of the Sabarimala issue in this region.
However, the crucial question now is whether this renewed call for mobilization by the Sangh Parivar will resonate with the same intensity and draw the same level of public support as it did in previous years.