India Post will open a round-the-clock booking counter at Kerala’s Sabarimala shrine on November 17, allowing pilgrims to send prasadam, including Aravana payasam, to homes across India through its Speed Post service. The facility will operate during the 41-day Mandala pilgrimage season.
The counter is being established in collaboration with the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) at the Sannidhanam, where the board already operates counters selling Aravana payasam and appam. Pilgrims will be able to book prasadam parcels at the shrine instead of carrying them through the crowded pilgrimage route and onward journeys.
Officials said the parcels are expected to reach devotees’ homes even before they return from Sabarimala. The service will also be available through post offices across the country, enabling devotees to arrange prasadam deliveries without booking them at the shrine.
The initiative was announced by TDB president K. Jayakumar and Kerala Circle Chief Postmaster General Amitabh Singh. The special parcel counter will begin functioning alongside the opening of the Lord Ayyappa temple for the pilgrimage season, according to the announcement.
The arrangement connects the shrine’s existing prasadam distribution system with India Post’s nationwide delivery network. For pilgrims, the stated purpose is to reduce the inconvenience of carrying prasadam amid the heavy crowds that gather at Sabarimala during the annual pilgrimage.
Sabarimala’s Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage draws lakhs of devotees to the hilltop shrine in Kerala’s Western Ghats every year. The 24-hour counter will remain operational throughout the Mandala season, with bookings available at the shrine and through post offices across the country.
