Pathanamthitta Sabarimala Pilgrimage Rubber Cardamom Kerala

Pathanamthitta district in Kerala's Eastern Ghats foothills is the site of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple — a hilltop shrine accessible only by forest trekking that draws 40-50 million pilgrims annually (primarily men aged 10-50 following celibacy vows for 41 days) — making it the world's largest annual religious pilgrimage by attendance. The district grows rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) extensively on its mid-elevation slopes, and the rubber tapping by small holders in Pathanamthitta and adjacent Kottayam forms the backbone of India's natural rubber production. The district's Konni Elephant Training Centre trains juvenile wild elephants captured under government permits for use in temple festival processions across Kerala.