LPG Cylinder Blast Injures Nine Devotees in Hubballi, Karnataka

In a tragic incident, nine devotees of Lord Ayyappa were seriously injured due to an LPG cylinder blast at a Shiva temple located in the Sainagar area of Hubballi district, Karnataka. The explosion occurred on Sunday night while the devotees were asleep in the temple room.

Details of the Incident

According to police reports, the explosion resulted from the devotees’ failure to properly turn off the LPG cylinder knob after cooking. All injured individuals were promptly taken to KIMS Hospital, where their conditions are reported to be critical.

Pilgrimage to Sabarimala

The devotees were visiting the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple in Kerala, a popular pilgrimage site. It is worth noting that the Travancore Devaswom Board recently reported a significant increase in the number of pilgrims visiting Sabarimala, with more than 22 lakh devotees arriving over 29 days leading up to December 14. This marks an increase of 4.51 lakh pilgrims compared to the same period last year.

Sabarimala Temple’s Economic Surge

The surge in pilgrimage also brought a substantial increase in the temple’s revenue, which rose by ₹22.76 crore from the same period a year ago to a total of ₹163.89 crore. Notably, revenue from Aravana (prasadam) sales accounted for ₹82.67 crore, while the offering box collections reached ₹52.27 crore. Aravana sales alone saw a growth of ₹17.41 crore compared to the ₹65.26 crore accumulated last year, with offering box revenue increasing by ₹8.35 crore.