A fringe Hindu outfit Wednesday organised a protest march at Panchalimedu in Idukki district alleging encroachment by a Catholic church on government land.
Panchalimedu, a hill situated near Mundakayyam, is considered as one of the 18 hills related to Sabarimala and part of 'Poonkavanam' (sacred forest area) of Lord Ayyappa, the presiding deity of Sabarimala temple.
According to legend, the Pandavas along with Draupadi (Panchali) stayed for a year in a cave in the hill during their 14-year exile.
There is a Goddess Bhuvaneshwari temple atop the hill.
However, it is also a Christian pilgrimage centre where there are around 14 concrete crosses erected en route to the hill top since 1956.
"There are 14 crosses and a temple on the hill since the time when the land was taken over by the government in 1965 after the Land Reforms Act.
However, three new wooden crosses came up after Easter this year," district collector H Dineshan told PTI.
The issue popped up after the Kerala-based Hindu outfit, Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP), recently erected a trident near a newly fixed wooden cross in the hill.
Following this, the district administration issued notice to both the church and the AHP to remove them.
"We gave two days time to them to remove the trident and the three new wooden crosses. Both the church and the AHP removed their respective installations recently," Dineshansaid.
The AHP Wednesday organised the protest at the foothills of Panchalimedu alleging that the hill has been encroached by the Church.
The protesters later dispersed.
However, the president of the temple trust told the media that both the temple and crosses have been there since time immemorial.
"Both the crosses and the temple are on government land which is now being managed by tourism promotion council," Sunu, president of the trust, told a TV channel.
He alleged that the current agitation was part of a larger conspiracy.
Jose Mathew,a representative of the church body, said the allegation has been made to sabotage tourism prospects.
"Neither us, nor the people here have any problem. Some people are unnecessarily trying to create tension here," he said.
The local governing body is also of the opinion that external elements were trying to create tension in the area.
Meanwhile, the Kerala High court Wednesday directed the state government and Travancore Devaswom Board(TDB), which administers temples in the State, to file a report clarifying within 10 days on whose land the 17 crosses have been installed.
A division bench of justices C T Ravikumar and N Nagaresh issued the order on a plea filed seeking a direction to the state and Idukki collector to remove the crosses.
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