Sabarimala devaswom board earn record revenue

SABARIMALAI: The Lord is helping the Travancore Devaswom Board earn record revenue from the Sabarimala pilgrimage.

The aggregate revenue collection of the Lord Ayyappa temple at the end of the first three weeks of the eight-week pilgrimage period stood at `55.14 crore as against `41.5 crore during the corresponding period in the pilgrimage season last year.

Of the total income, the sale proceeds from aravana prasadam came to `24. 12 crore in contrast to `16.94 crore during the same period in the previous season.

The hundi collection stood at `18.76 crore as against `15.30 crore in the corresponding period in the last season.

The income from the sale of appam prasadam stood at `5.26 crore against `3.92 crore last time.

Pilgrim arrivals rise: Sabarimala executive officer M Satheeshkumar said that the record rise in revenue was mainly on account of the ten per cent increase in the arrival of pilgrims. They get more time to deposit their money in hundi boxes kept on the temple premises following the increase in the darsan time, he said.

Availability of abundant quantity of aravana and appam prasadam has helped increase the revenue earnings, he said.

A ten per cent increase in the prices of aravana and appam prasadams also contributed to the revenue increase.
Source: Indian Express 08-dec-2011