A major political controversy has erupted in Kerala after authorities issued a stop memo halting the construction of a temporary bridge on the Bharatapuzha River for the upcoming Maha Magha festival—referred to as the "Kumbh Mela of Kerala"—at Thirunavaya in Malappuram district.
The festival, scheduled to take place from January 18 to February 3, will be held on the sandbed near the Nava Mukunda Temple.
The Thirunavaya village officer issued an order to the convenor of the festival organising committee, stating that the construction of the bridge, including levelling the riverbed with heavy machinery such as earth movers, violated the Kerala River Banks and Regulation of Removal of Sand Act, 2001. The order further claimed that the work had been carried out without prior permission, constituting encroachment on the river.
However, festival organisers argued that they had already sought the necessary permissions for the festival-related work and had started preparations accordingly. They accused authorities of issuing the stop memo at the final stages of preparation to sabotage the event.
Revenue officials arrived at the site and halted the work without offering any explanation, the organisers claimed.
The issue has sparked a political storm, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) calling the stop memo "illegal" and a "violation of religious freedom."
In a Facebook post, senior BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan condemned the order halting construction activities at Thirunavaya, where the festival is scheduled to be held, describing it as unjustified.
“For over a month, construction work was ongoing along the banks of the Bharathapuzha to provide basic facilities for pilgrims. Neither the police nor the revenue authorities raised any objections. Government officials visited the site daily and did not flag any illegality,” Rajasekharan noted.
He further alleged that the sudden halt to the work, just days before the festival, without prior notice, clearly points to a conspiracy to sabotage the event and demoralise devotees.
The ‘Maha Magha’ festival is set to take place at the site of the medieval Mamankam festival, which was historically held once every 12 years. The festival is organised under the guidance of Juna Akhara, the country’s largest monastic order and one of the key bodies that oversees the Kumbh Melas in Haridwar, Ujjain, Nashik, and Prayagraj.
