The Sabarimala Karma Samithi (SKS) has alleged that there is a calculated effort to portray the Sabarimala temple as a secular space, saying Hindu groups view such moves as deeply troubling and offensive to the devotion of Ayyappa followers.

Sabarimala, a temple whose customs and rituals are drawn entirely from Hindu scriptures, is administered by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) under the Travancore-Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act. At the Sabarimala Samrakshana Sangamam in Pandalam on September 22, participants resolved to resist any move to brand the temple as non-religious, SKS general convener S J R Kumar said on Wednesday.

“The statement made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that the message of Sabarimala is spirituality without religion is contentious. The forces that tried to violate the age-old practices of Sabarimala in 2018 are making another attempt to hurt the sentiments of devotees. We will use all resources to oppose any such attempt.

The Sabarimala Samrakshana Sangamam has decided to prepare a master plan for the development of the temple and to approach the Union government to protect the temple. We will form an Ayyappa liberation movement to save the temple from exploitation,” he told mediapersons in Kochi.

A resolution adopted at the gathering urged the Union government to take responsibility for ensuring development while keeping faith at the centre. “Devotees have long been aspiring for scientific, sustainable and meaningful development of Sabarimala anchored in age-old traditions, practices and belief systems. However, successive governments in Kerala have failed to carry out any genuine development work at Sabarimala.

The present government is attempting to collect funds from wealthy individuals and is offering privileges that are completely against tradition and practices. Even amounts allocated by the Union government in the past for development have not been properly utilised.

“The ruling left parties in Kerala have defamed Sanatana Dharma and made every possible attempt to weaken and destroy the sacred traditions of Sabarimala,” the resolution read.

The meeting declared that it had lost faith in both the state government and the TDB, calling on the Union government to take necessary steps for the temple’s sustainable growth.

It also demanded the withdrawal of all cases filed against devotees who had protested against what they saw as violations of sacred practices. The government and the TDB were asked to withdraw the affidavit submitted before the Supreme Court and file a fresh one in support of Sabarimala’s rituals and traditions.