Overview

• The Global Ayyappa Sangamam opened at Pamba with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurating a venue built with temporary structures seating about 3,000 that organisers say will be dismantled after the meet.
• Vijayan announced a Rs 1,033.62 crore multi-phase development plan for Sabarimala spanning Sannidhanam, Pamba and the trekking route, with completion targeted by 2039.
• He also outlined more than Rs 300 crore in spending between 2025 and 2030 to upgrade basic facilities for devotees.
• Travancore Devaswom Board officials said delegates from 15 countries are attending with large interstate participation, including roughly 1,000 devotees from Tamil Nadu, alongside a platinum jubilee exhibition.
• The event moved forward after legal scrutiny and opposition from Congress and the BJP, with the High Court imposing conditions and the Supreme Court declining to halt it, according to the chief minister.