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Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple is one of the most revered Hindu temples in India, located in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. The temple is administered by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), a government of Kerala-controlled autonomous body.

Other stakeholders of Sabarimala Temple are the Pandalam Royal Family and the Tantri (head priest) family. However, it goes without saying that it is the TDB which exercises a vice-like grip on the shrine, as it is a major revenue earner, generating a total revenue of Rs 332.77 crore during the 2025 Mandala Pooja season.

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The temple is surrounded by 18 hills in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. It is one of the largest annual pilgrimage sites in the world, with an estimate of over 10 to 15 million devotees visiting every year. For this reason, Sabarimala has been on the radar of foreign-funded forces, constantly attempting to desecrate the sacred shrine.

In the early hours of June 14, 1950, the Sabarimala Temple was found gutted by fire. The idol of Ayyappa, the reigning deity, also known as Shasta, was found desecrated – the idol was broken. Though the law, as usual, could not find the suspects, Karma was quick to retaliate. In March 2022, George Karimbanal shot dead his brother Ranju Kurian and uncle Mathew Scaria near Kanjirapally in Kerala. All three belonged to the Christian Karimbanal family that was involved in the 1950 arson and desecration of Sabarimala temple.

K. Keshava Menon, a Deputy Superintendent of Police who had investigated the original Sabarimala temple arson case, had noted that there were 15 cut marks on the door leading to the Sree Kovil (Sanctum Sanctorum), with the Ayyappa murti’s head, left palm, and fingers being severed. After investigations, Menon had concluded that this was a plotted conspiracy, a hate crime against the religious sentiments of the Ayyappa devotees.

Further investigations revealed that converted Syrian Christians/Roman Catholics were behind the attack. Christian converts had ruined several temples to dislodge the Hindu faith from the........

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