Makara Deepam of Sabarimala Is Man Made

Oh! This is a disappointment and a surprise. The Travancore Devaswom Board, which runs the Shabarimala temple of Lord Ayyappa has said in court that the Makara Deepam - which light mysteriously and is believed to be a divine phenomenon - is a man made contrivance. I had an ulterior motive in sustaining this belief because I hail from Pathinamthitta where Sabarimala is situated.

Many people had asked me about it in Bombay. I had replied that it was an act of the Hindu Gods. According to P.R.Anitha, secretary of the Devaswom board, quoted thusly in Outlook magazine:

"This is incorrect. The TDB or any of its officials have not at any time conducted such a propaganda. They have never stated any where at any time that the light seen at Ponnamabalamedu is on account of any super human intervention," she said.