THREE months after 102 pilgrims who had come on a pilgrimage to Sabarimala were killed in Kerala, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) told the Kerala High Court that what was hitherto considered as ‘celestial light’ was actually man-made.
The board’s admission has effectively put an end to speculation on the so-called celestial light. The TDB oversees the functioning of all temples in Kerala’s southern districts.
TDB claimed it had never called the phenomenon a divine light. For long the fire (called by Sabarimala devotees as ‘makara vilakku’) had been lit by tribals living on the hillock, the board admitted.
TDB’s affidavit was filed in response to the demand made by the court that is currently looking into a series of petitions filed soon after the stampede at Sabarimala Jan 14 when the ‘celestial light’ had appeared three times.
At the forefront of a campaign against what it calls cheating by the Kerala government and the TDB has been Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham (KYS), a rationalist organization.
Sanal Edamarukku, an office bearer of the KYS who has been fighting the practice of making an artificial light appear on the horizon and letting it pass as celestial, said finally their stand had been vindicated.
“This affidavit by the TDB has finally come and we are really happy that they spoke the truth,” said Edamarukku.
On Jan 14, 102 pilgrims were killed in a stampede that occurred when they were returning after watching the ‘makara jyothi’, the most important event of a two-month pilgrimage dedicated to Ayyappa considered to be a god by Hindus.
