Hyderabad: Not all pilgrims are happy with the Kerala government agreeing to provide 5 acres of land at Nilakkal for the Telangana Bhavan, which is 20 km from Sabarimala.
Most pilgrims from Telangana invariably land at Pamba before going on Sabarimala. That is where the bhavan should be located, they said. Nilakkal is out of the way.
Mr Gadapa Nagaraju, a guruswamy from Karimnagar, told this newspaper that pilgrims needed accommodation and facilities either at Pamba or at Sannidanam.
Mr Nagaraju has gone on pilgrimage to Sabarimala 24 times. Of these, he has walked 15 times to the Ayyappa temple from Karimnagar.
Mr Nagaraju said: “Most Ayyappas opt to reach Pamba from railway stations or the Kochi airport. They may not have a chance to halt at the Telangana Bhavan as they do not halt at Nilakkal during both the Mandala and Makaravillakku seasons. Pilgrims who go to Pamba by the Peddapadam route through the deep forest from Erumeli take a break at Pamba, which is about 20 km from Nilakkal.”
Appreciating the Kerala government’s gesture, guruswamy Pavan Kumar Gopishetty from Saidabad Colony here said the demand for land at Sabarimala was a decade-old. “Something is better than nothing. But, if the Kerala government provides land at Pamba or Sannidanam, it wold have been more useful for lakhs of pilgrims from Telangana,” he said.
Ponnala Rajkumar, a guruswamy from the Bagh Amberpet Ayyappa temple, said the Telangana Bhavan at Nillekal would be more useful to road users.
“During Mandala puja and Makaravilakku, Nilakkal turns into a parking area. Pilgrims from Telugu states who park their vehicles at Nilakkal can go to the Telangana Bhavan. But most Telugu pilgrims require shelter at Pamba during Makara Sankrati,” he said.
Endowment minister A. Indrakaran Reddy told this newspaper that for decades no government had struck a deal with Kerala which was the dream of Telugu pilgrims.
“In future, we will try to extend services of Telangana Bhavan,” he said.
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