THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The treasure trove that was unearthed inside the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple might have made it the wealthiest temple in the world. But the same wealth is now turning the temple authorities financially weak.According to them, a fall in the number of devotees has been recorded recently. This has caused a marginal fall in the income of the temple too.The prime reason for this, according to the temple staff, is the tight security arrangements and strict parking restrictions in the area. ‘’The police personnel deployed here are being harsh to the devotees, especially those who come in vehicles, which has caused the sudden decline in numbers. Many of the city dwellers who used to come with their families in cars have stopped visiting,’’ said a temple employee on condition of anonymity. The temple employees are also concerned over the discomfort faced by the pilgrims from other states owing to the parking restrictions in the area. ‘’The pilgrims come in large numbers in buses. But their vehicles are redirected by the police to the parking lot at Putharikandam ground and Enchakkal, without even giving them time to drop the passengers, thus forcing the pilgrims to take long walks,’’ he said and added that if the situation persists, the time will not be long when pilgrims cut off the Sree Padmanabha Temple from their tour map.The employees are aware that security is indispensable, but they do not approve of the ill-treatment the devotees have to face at the hands of the security officers.The temple income has been affected since it is directly proportional to the number of devotees. Offerings like ‘nerchas’ and ‘vazhipads’ are becoming lesser each day.The ‘Sreekaryakkaran’ (administrative manager) of the temple has also submitted a report to the temple authorities stating that the revenue from offerings has diminished and things were not looking better for the future too. The temple authorities have, in turn, forwarded the report to the State Government seeking a solution. V K Harikumar, executive officer of the temple, confirmed the fact. But he did not support the opinion that the conduct of the police alone was the reason for the decline in the number of devotees. "Most of the regular visitors to the temple are city dwellers and are working people. They do not prefer a long walk to the temple after a day’s work, which might be the reason for their disinterest. Some of them have even told me this fact personally. I have been receiving complaints from the pilgrims too,’’ he said.However, he did not wish to comment on the harsh behaviour of the police personnel as he felt that they have been deployed only for the benefit of the temple. The government, as part of the security arrangements, has banned parking of vehicles near the temple, especially along the road that leads to the eastern entrance.
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