Visiting Sabarimala temple? You can carry ‘flammable’ coconut on flight. Here's how

Civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu announced on Saturday that pilgrims headed to Sabarimala temple in Kerala will be allowed to carry coconuts in the cabin baggage of flights till January 20, 2025, reported news agency PTI.

Under existing norms, coconuts are not permitted in the cabin baggage on the grounds that they are flammable, however the bureau of civil aviation security has allowed pilgrims to do so for the two-month-long Sabarimala pilgrimage season which will start in mid-November.

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Naidu on Saturday said that the exemption on "carrying coconuts in 'Irumudi' as cabin baggage during the Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage period" was to ensure the ease of travel for Sabarimala pilgrims.

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In a post on X, he stated that the order will be in effect until January 20, 2025, with all necessary security checks in place.

Coconuts will be allowed to be carried in the cabin only after the requisite X-Ray, ETD (Explosive Trace Detector) and physical checks.

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The Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala will be open from mid-November to late January for the auspicious season when lakhs of devotees visit the hill shrine every year.

Those undertaking the pilgrimage to Sabarimala usually prepare and pack 'Irumudi Kettu' (the sacred bag containing offerings, including coconut filled with ghee) as part of the 'Kettunirakal' ritual to offer to Lord Ayyappa.

During the ritual, ghee is filled inside a coconut, which is then kept in the bag along with other offerings. The bag also carried ordinary coconuts to be broken at various holy spots during the pilgrimage.

Only those pilgrims who carry the 'Irumudi Kettu' on their head are allowed to climb the 18 sacred steps to reach the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. Those not carrying it have to take a different passage to reach the sanctum sanctorum.