Climbing up the hill to the Sabarimala Sannidhanam is no easy task. A signboard displays a warning asking devotes to climb slowly, and to take frequent rest. It soon becomes apparent why this is necessary. The temple sits over 6 km up the hill. The concrete path is uneven and riddled with stones.
At some places, the path is steeper than at others. But that hasn't stopped Pandiyan from Tamil Nadu from operating a palanquin service for weary, old or ill Sabarimala pilgrims. He and three others carry the pilgrims up and down the hill for a fee.
“I have been doing this for thirty years,” says Pandiyan as he offers this TNM reporter a lift up the hill for Rs 2200. The 42-year-old from Tanjavoor is an agricultural labourer during most of the year, but takes up the job of a palanquin bearer at Sabarimala during the season. He says he is able to make Rs 40,000 in two months doing this.
“We make around three trips up and down the hill a day and we do it for ten days straight, before taking a break. The body hurts, so, we go home and take rest. In the meantime, other men replace us for ten days. When they leave, we return,” Pandiyan explains.
Mani, another palanquin bearer, has been doing this for five years. “In November-December, it is the rainy season and there is less work in our village. So, we come here to make some money,” he tells TNM.
The pilgrims are made to sit on a cane chair which has two poles attached perpendicular near the armrests. These are held up by four men.
The Travancore Devaswom Board has fixed rates for the service that operates from the Pamba bus stand all the way up to the Sannidhanam, and back. However, the palanquin bearers often demand a little above the fixed rate. “Give us each a little extra from your heart,” Mani could be heard telling a haggling customer before fixing the deal.
The palanquin bearers, locally known as dolly workers, take frequent rests as it is impossible to make the climb in one go. 21-year-old Kannan, the youngest of the four workers in Pandiyan's group, took up the job for the first time this season. However, he is not keen on returning next year. “I don’t even intend to come back after ten days. This is not for me. I will try and get enrolled as a Vishudisena member next year,” Kannan says. Vishudisena members are tasked with clearing garbage along the pilgrim route.
Hearing this, Pandiyan scoffs. “Until ten years ago even the present resting spots weren’t there,” he tells Kannan.
Palanquin bearers at Sabarimala have also reported health issues due to the physically strenuous nature of the work they do. Scroll reported last year that they have to take painkillers after every climb, and many suffer from bone-related issues. Deccan Chronicle reported that they suffer from other illnesses, and often do not have proper shelters to sleep at night.