Kerala Sabarimala temple's gold-coated flag damaged; three held

Thiruvananthapuram: The base (panchavargathara) of the newly-installed gold plated mast at the famed Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala, was found damaged on Sunday using mercury.

Three persons were taken into custody in connection with the incident.

The inspection of footage from a CCTV camera installed on the Sabarimala temple premises showed three persons pouring a liquid on the base of the newly installed temple mast.

Detailed investigations revealed that the liquid substance poured was mercury.

The new flag post was donated by a business group from Andhra Pradesh. It reportedly cost Rs 3.5 crore.

The teakwood mast, covered using 9.16 kg of gold, 300 kg of copper and 17 kg of silver, was ceremonially installed by the head priest, Kandararu Rajeevararu after performing purification rituals in the morning.

Police believe the reason for the crime may be business rivalry. The attackers were believed to be ranged against the business group which paid for the flag post.

The 10-day festival at the Sabarimala temple is scheduled to begin on June 28. The shrine will be closed on July 7 after the ‘aarattu’ ritual, which marks the end of the festival.

Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, is the most famous and prominent among all the Sastha temples in Kerala. The temple is situated on a hilltop (about 3000 feet above sea level) named Sabarimala in Pathanamthitta district, which is unique in many respects.