Date:12/03/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/03/12/stories/2006031217370300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Meenam Uthiram festival at Sabarimala

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: For the first time the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala will hold the `Meenam Uthiram festival' from April 2 to April 19.

S. Raman Nair, President; Travancore Devaswom Board said a meeting for `guruswamis' from different parts of the country would be held soon. "We want to discuss how we could improve our facilities and arrangements," he said.

Members of the board, which maintains the temple, said a sewage treatment plant, a cardiology centre and a new complex (at an estimated cost of Rs.9 crore) for distribution of prasadam — appam and aravana payasam — were in the offing.

"We are also working on widening the trekking path from Pamba to the shrine."