Tamil Nadu pilgrims question Pongal dhotis sold at Pamba

Pilgrims from Tamil Nadu have alleged that dhotis distributed free under their state’s Pongal welfare programme were converted into irumudi bags and sold for Rs 300 at Pamba, the gateway to Kerala’s Sabarimala temple.

The allegations emerged after devotees identified Tamil Nadu government markings on cloth used for the ritual bundles supplied at a packing centre near the Ganapathi temple. The Travancore Devaswom Board, which oversees arrangements for Sabarimala pilgrims, has indicated that it will examine the matter.

The pilgrims suspect that garments intended for eligible households through Tamil Nadu’s ration distribution network may have been diverted into commercial circulation. However, the origin of the particular cloth, its route to Pamba and whether any unlawful resale occurred have not been established.

One complainant has been identified as Navaneethakrishnan, 35, from Anguchettipalayam near Panruti in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district. He visited Sabarimala with friends and purchased an irumudi bundle at Pamba during the pilgrimage, before noticing the markings on its fabric.

The material reportedly carried the Tamil Nadu government’s emblem and a reference to the 2025 Pongal dhoti and saree distribution scheme. Other printed particulars included identification and batch information associated with the garments’ production and supply. Those details have prompted demands to establish whether the fabric originated from stocks earmarked for free distribution.

Pilgrims circulated images and video of the marked bags on social media, drawing attention to the possibility that subsidised welfare material had entered the supply chain for religious offerings. Their complaint centres on the source of the fabric rather than the religious practice of carrying an irumudi.

The irumudi is a two-compartment bundle containing offerings carried by devotees undertaking the Sabarimala pilgrimage. Facilities at Pamba allow pilgrims arriving without a prepared bundle to complete the customary packing before proceeding towards the hill shrine.

At the centre concerned, pilgrims are charged Rs 300 for an irumudi arrangement. The amount is associated with the prepared ritual bundle and its contents, rather than necessarily representing the separate retail price of an empty cloth bag. That distinction is important when assessing allegations that a garment originally distributed without charge was subsequently sold.

The packing facility operates under Devaswom Board supervision, while contractors undertake the preparation and supply of the bundles. This arrangement has raised questions about procurement checks, the origin of material supplied by contractors and the extent of oversight exercised at the centre.

Devotees said they asked personnel at the facility how cloth bearing Tamil Nadu government markings had reached Pamba. According to their account, the workers said they did not know. That response has not clarified who purchased the fabric or whether it was supplied through an intermediary.

The pilgrims have sought an investigation into whether garments distributed through ration outlets were resold in bulk or otherwise transferred for commercial use. Their suspicion has not been substantiated by transaction records, stock registers or findings from an official inquiry.

Tamil Nadu distributes dhotis and sarees around Pongal as part of a welfare programme benefiting eligible ration-card holders and other designated recipients. The scheme is intended to provide garments without charge, making the appearance of its marked cloth in a paid pilgrimage service a matter requiring explanation.

The wording reportedly printed on the material points to the 2025 distribution programme, rather than the garments being prepared for the forthcoming Pongal festival. Establishing when the cloth left the original distribution chain would therefore be necessary to determine whether any rules governing welfare supplies were breached.

Questions also remain about whether the fabric was originally issued to beneficiaries, remained undistributed, or reached a trader through some other route. None of those possibilities can be treated as established without procurement documentation and an account from the agencies involved.

The dispute has focused attention on a packing service used by devotees who reach Pamba without completing the irumudi ritual elsewhere. The centre near the Ganapathi temple is one of the facilities associated with preparations before pilgrims continue their journey to Sabarimala.

A description of one purchased bundle listed coconuts, sandalwood, sacred ash and raw rice among its contents. These items form part of the offerings pilgrims carry for worship. The complaint concerns the cloth wrapping them, identifiable by its printed government scheme details and distribution year.