Sabarimala devotees can now send Aravana prasadam home via India Post service

Devotees visiting Sabarimala will soon be able to send Aravana Payasam and other temple offerings to their homes through India Post, news agency Press Trust of India reported.

The service, being introduced for the upcoming Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, will provide doorstep delivery across India through Speed Post Parcel. The 41-day Mandala pilgrimage season begins on November 17.

India Post, in association with the Travancore Devaswom Board, is setting up a round-the-clock special parcel booking centre at the hill shrine, according to an official statement cited by PTI.

The centre will operate alongside the Devaswom Board's Aravana and Appam counters at the Sabarimala temple complex. Aravana is a sweet prasadam made mainly from rice, jaggery and ghee, while Appam is another sweet offering available at the temple.

Devotees can book the offerings at the shrine and have them sent to their home addresses. The service is intended to ensure that the parcels reach their homes by the time they return from the pilgrimage.

Besides the facility at Sannidhanam, devotees can book and send prasadam to any destination in India through post offices across the country, the statement said.

The initiative is expected to reduce difficulties faced by pilgrims during periods of heavy rush. They will be able to order any number of prasadam packets without carrying them on their return journey. The service will offer booking, secure packaging and delivery across the country.

Travancore Devaswom Board President K Jayakumar and Kerala Circle Chief Postmaster General Amitabh Singh announced that the special booking centre would become operational next week, coinciding with the opening of the Lord Ayyappa temple for this year's Mandala season, PTI reported. The facility will allow pilgrims to send temple offerings directly to addresses across India.