Pilgrims Visiting Sabarimala Allowed To Carry Coconuts In Cabin Baggage For Upcoming Pilgrimage Season
Pilgrims Visiting Sabarimala Allowed To Carry Coconuts In Cabin Baggage For Upcoming Pilgrimage Season
To ease travel for pilgrims visiting Kerala’s Sabarimala Temple, India’s Civil Aviation Ministry has permitted devotees to carry coconuts in their cabin baggage through January 20, 2025. Announced by Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, this temporary waiver from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) applies during the Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, which begins mid-November and continues through January.
Usually prohibited in cabin baggage due to safety concerns, coconuts are integral to the traditional ‘Irumudi Kettu,’ a sacred offering bag filled with items like ghee-filled coconuts, which devotees bring to the Sabarimala shrine. The BCAS has implemented security protocols, including X-ray screening, Explosive Trace Detector (ETD) checks, and physical inspections, for those carrying coconuts to ensure safe passage.
The Sabarimala pilgrimage season attracts millions of devotees who carry the ‘Irumudi Kettu’ as part of the ‘Kettunirakal’ ritual. Only those bearing this sacred bag may ascend the temple’s 18 holy steps leading to the sanctum, while others must use an alternate route.
