The Ayyappa Seva Samithi, based in Karimnagar, has formally requested Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay to grant the revered Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala a ‘Central Cultural and Faith-Sensitive Heritage Protection’ status. This crucial intervention is sought to safeguard the sacred site from what the devotees term as ‘local misadministration.’
A delegation from the Ayyappa Seva Samithi, including prominent members K. Parameshwar Guruswamy and P. Satyanarayana Guruswamy, presented a detailed memorandum to the Union Minister during his visit to Karimnagar on Sunday.
In their appeal, the devotees voiced profound distress over serious allegations, which include the misappropriation of gold and numerous procedural violations at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. These concerns have deeply unsettled millions of Ayyappa followers across the country.
The memorandum highlighted that Sabarimala is not merely a temple under local administrative control; it embodies a constitutional trust of faith, protected by Articles 25 and 26 of the Indian Constitution. These articles guarantee devotees the fundamental right to worship and to ensure their religious institutions are free from mismanagement.
To address these critical issues, the Samithi has proposed a comprehensive CBI-monitored audit or a Central Heritage Asset Review. They further advocated for the implementation of a transparent, digitally logged public inventory system to manage all temple valuables, ensuring adherence to rigorous audit standards typically applied to religious institutions.
Earlier on the same day, Minister Sanjay had participated in flagging off a spiritual foot march (padayatra) of Ayyappa devotees embarking on their pilgrimage from Karimnagar to Sabarimala.
Additionally, Mr. Sanjay was involved in a ‘path sanchalan’ (route march) organized as part of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) centenary celebrations held in Karimnagar that Sunday evening.