Kerala was of the view that the pilgrimage would in no way harm the tiger habitat, Chandy said in a statement after a meeting with officials of State Forest and Devaswom Board.
He said the temple at Sabarimala was centuries old and pilgrimage to this temple had started years before this area was declared a tiger reserve.
"Sabarimala is in the buffer zone and not in the core area of the tiger reserve. The pilgrimage would in no way interfere with the habitat of tigers", he said.
The meeting was held against the background of Supreme Court directions to states to convey their response on the guidelines for conservation of tiger reserves in the country.
Kerala
