New Delhi : The Central government stated in the Supreme Court (SC) that the Aravana payasam (jaggery kheer offering) given to devotees in Sabarimala is fit for consumption. Earlier this year, the Kerala High Court had ordered the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to stop the sales of ‘Aravana’ after traces of pesticide-laced cardamom were found in it. Following this, the TDB approached the Supreme Court seeking to carry out tests on the samples.
The Devaswom board pointed out that only 720 grams of cardamom is added to 350 kilograms of a single batch of Aravana, which mostly consists of rice and jaggery. This accounts for only 0.21% of the total ingredients. The board also argued that since Aravana is prepared at a heat of 200 degrees Celsius, it is not possible that a higher amount of pesticide will be present in the same.
