Fact Check: Is UAE's `AL Zahaa' manufacturing Aravana Prasadam for Sabarimala Temple?
An image of Aravana Prasadam that is offered at Kerala's Sabarimala temple is viral on social media.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 17 Nov 2021 8:57 PM IST
Hyderabad: An image of Aravana Prasadam that is offered at Kerala's Sabarimala temple is viral on social media. Users claim that it is Islamic and has an Arabic name- AL ZAHAA Sweets LLC on it.
The claim along the image reads: "Aravanapayasam the main Prasadam of Sabrimala, is not only now Islamic but halal too, with an Arabic name (sic)"
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Some users have also claimed that the 'Kerala Devaswom Board' has issued a tender to the company.
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(A BJP spokesperson also shared the viral claim)
Fact Check
The claim is false.
NewsMeter searched for the details of the company 'AL Zahaa Sweets LLC' and found that it is based out of Ajman, United Arab Emirates (UAE). As per the information provided by 'Diligencia Group', the company was established in 2020.
We found the recent images of the Aravana Prasadam that is being offered at the Sabarimala temple. We found that they are entirely different from the viral ones. Taking a careful look at the viral image and the original image, it says Aravan Payasam, not Aravan Prasad. Compared to the original Aravan Prasad, this photo does not have the name 'Travancore Devaswom Board' or 'Saranam Ayyappa'.
https://images.app.goo.gl/
Below is the comparison.
Replying to one of the viral claims by Twitter Users, Twitterati took the comment section to show the real image of the Prasadam.
Taking that as a clue, we looked into the Travancore Devaswom Board and found that it is an autonomous body constituted under the Travancore Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions ActXV of 1950. It is entrusted with the task of administering 1248 temples to the erstwhile princely state of Travancore in Kerala.
We then looked for the temples they are entrusted with. We found Sabarimala temple is one of those 1248 temples and the Board is its governing body.
Moreover, in a Malayalee video uploaded by a YouTube channel `Silent Springs', you can see eating the same Aravana pudding made by Al Zaha. According to the video, the pudding was meant to be sold to foreign Keralites.
Additionally, in 2007, the Travancore Devaswom Board shortlisted Elite India, a Muslim company, to manufacture and supply Aravan pudding in Sabarimala. According to an article in the Times of India, three bidders were shortlisted. The fourth company however asked for High Court permission. This article indicates that it was opposed by Hindu organizations at the time.
Further, Wilmer International (Singapore) wants to acquire 'Aravan' as a trademark of its food subsidiary Kuvok Oils and Grains Trading Limited. The trademark application was filed in 2018 at the Trademarks Registry in Kolkata.
News Checker wrote a fact check article regarding the same claim. They contacted Al Zaha Company and the Travancore Devasom Board, which rubbished the claim as false.
Aravana Payasam is a specialty 'Payasam' made in many temples in Kerala. However, Sabarimala 'Aravana Payasam' is the most popular. Sabarimala 'Aravan' is made differently but uses almost the same ingredients as other temples, so it has a unique taste.
Hence, the claim is false. The viral image of Aravana Payasam and the company it claims it is associated with is a UAE company and has no connection with the Sabarimala temple Prasadam.
