Sabarimala Ayyappa Pilgrimage Declared a Sacred Pilgrimage; Minister Sunil Senavi

15-Nov-2025

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The pilgrimage to the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple located in Kerala, India, has been declared a sacred pilgrimage. Many governments have come and gone, yet none paid attention to this matter. 

Allegations that discrimination is shown in religious affairs are completely false. We are committed to ensuring national harmony, said Minister of Buddhist Affairs and Religious Affairs, Sunil Senavi.

He stated this while addressing the fifth day of the debate on the second reading of the 2026 Budget in Parliament on 13-11-2025.

He further said:

There is no need to struggle to win rights. Funds have been allocated through the budget to address people’s fundamental problems. We have not claimed to have solved everything. We will resolve all issues step by step.

It is not surprising that an opposition that opposes everything should oppose the budget too. They claim that insufficient funds have been allocated for Hindu religious affairs. This is completely false.

We celebrated the national Thai Pongal festival in Jaffna. We have declared the Sabarimala Ayyappa pilgrimage a sacred pilgrimage. So many governments existed in the past and yet none considered this.

Millions of rupees have been allocated for the renovation of temples and religious sites. 

Three hundred million rupees have been allocated for Sri Lanka Day celebrations. Therefore, claims that concessions are given in a discriminatory manner to religions are entirely untrue. We are committed to national harmony, he said.