First, I must apologise to M. Kesavan Nampoothiry for hijacking the headline given to his article in the column “Viewpoint” in the Sunday Express published today.

After reading about the man - made tragedy which blotted out 102 precious, pious lives, all devoted to God, in the stampede at Pulmedu, one of the vantage points enroute to Sabarimala Aiyappa Swamy temple for witnessing what is believed to be a “miracle light” known as Makara Jyothi, I could not resist the urge to tell the truth.

The Sunday Express mentioned above has reminded the TRUTH again and I thought of enlightening our readers about the “fraud” that is being spread by vested interests as it were, by adding a few more words of my own.

On Friday Jan. 14, 2010, that I had written in this very column, headlined “In the land of Kings and Forts”, about the crushing crowds at the famous Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti's Dargah in Ajmer and the hellish experience I had there. Writing about my experience I also mentioned, "We also remembered worse situations of this kind in some of the famous Hindu temples." Well, my writing could not have been more prophetic and timely as it were. The very next day we read about this tragedy at Sabarimala.

The article in the Sunday Express says what devotees see as Makara Jyothi (heavenly star) is in fact Makara Vilakku. This difference between what is a star, Makara Jyothi that appears on the eastern horizon on Makara Sankranti day and the Makara Vilakku which is created by lighting a big heap of camphor by the tribal people at Ponnambalamedu, was publicly clarified by the Sabarimala temple Thantri himself on May 27, 2008, according to the Sunday Express report. The people mistake this man-made Vilakku (light) for a celestial star called Jyothi.

It is said that a stage for this kind of tragedy to happen is already set every year as the crescendo of Aiyappa cult used to peak on Sankranti evening just because of this divine light, which is in fact only a man - made light.

This kind of tragedy might not happen every year during Makara Sankranti, but it had happened on January 14, 1999 on the Pampa Hill top, which had claimed 52 lives.

Crowd management and security are indeed a huge problem when lakhs of people gather at one point. The government concerned must find ways and means to curtail this problem and ease the difficulties of the pilgrims. One of the primary and most important steps to achieve this goal would be to publicise the truth about Makara Jyothi so that the number of pilgrims on that particular day would be reduced.

The article in the Sunday Express says, "The scope of making easy money in an over - crowded condition was never missed by petty traders from Pampa to Sannidhanam. Fleecing of pilgrims and supply of low quality food has become the trademark during the peak time of the Sabarimala pilgrimage." Well, the same could be said of the overcrowded condition in the Ajmer Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti.

In an important revelation, the Sunday Express article says that in the early 1950s, this so - called divine light had not been sighted at all, quoting a priest of the temple. However, he said the Makara Star on the eastern horizon used to appear on that day as a natural celestial phenomenon. "This shows," the writer of the article N. Keshavan Nampoothiry says, "the divine light has a history of only 55 years," and adds that this fraud being committed by the temple authorities at the people's expense, should not be allowed to continue. I agree.

His concluding words in the article are still more relevant and meaningful. He says, the places of worship are meant to lead the devout towards the righteous life and enlightenment of a spiritual kind. The efforts to make places of worship as money - spinning centres for a few vested groups are not only unethical, but legally unacceptable. No wonder, some places of worship also become death traps.

The media, both print and electronic, have a great responsibility in spreading the “glad tidings” of the truth that Makara Jyothi being seen by the pilgrims is not from the high heavens but is being lit as Makara Vilakku by the humble and devout people at Ponnambalamedu on the night of Makara Sankranti. May the truth prevail and precious lives saved.

This idea of God. And then followed a fight among humans in his name. Before God came in, the fight among humans was for food and women. This idea of God added one more dimension. Oh, God! In your name so much evil is perpetrated upon the weak among humans. Amen.

By K. B. Ganapathy
Editor in Chief
Courtesy: Star of Mysore