Kochi:
Kerala High Court on Thursday suggested to the newly constituted Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to consider widening of 'Pathinattam Padi' (the 18 holy steps) and the door of the 'Srikovil' (sanctum sanctorum) of Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala.
The suggestion was made by a division bench comprising Justice C N Ramachandran Nair and P S Gopinath considering the heavy rush of pilgrims every year and their hardships.
Pilgrims from across India and abroad come to the temple to offer worship and the 'weaker' and 'shorter' are unable to get a glimpse of the deity, the Bench said.
The Bench directed the Board to give top priority to the matter even though this was not included in the Sabarimala master plan. The court directed the Board to consider it as a special case and give a report within a month.
The order was issued considering the report of Special Devaswom Commissioner Rajendran Nair and a complaint from a pilgrim about the narrow steps leading to the sanctum sanctorum.
The Bench said the matter should be taken up as an independent one considering hardships of the devotees.
Sabarimala was an ancient temple and it has not been constructed foreseeing heavy rush of pilgrims, the Bench said.
The Bench also directed the board to consider possibility of providing a conveyor belt in the temple.