Pathanamthitta: Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president PS Prasanth announced that the criteria for entry passes to the Global Ayyappa Sangamam have been revised. Addressing the media on Tuesday, he said that only the first 3,000 people who registered online through the Sabarimala official portal will be allowed to attend the event scheduled for September 20 at Pampa.

Earlier, the TDB had mandated that only devotees who had visited the Sabarimala temple for at least three consecutive years would be eligible to participate in the programme, which is being organised as part of the board’s diamond jubilee celebrations. The board has now scrapped this rule, citing the complexity of verifying devotees’ visit history and the potential for complaints, as a large number of pilgrims have visited the shrine for more than three consecutive years.

So far, a total of 4,864 people have registered for the event. Of them, only 3,000 will receive passes. The TDB president said invitation letters would be sent to the selected devotees from Wednesday onwards. A special quota has also been allocated for neighbouring states, including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.

The TDB confirmed that ministers from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have been invited to the programme. Earlier, the board had announced that 800 participants from Kerala, 500 from Tamil Nadu, 250 from Karnataka, and 750 from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are expected to attend.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the Global Ayyappa Sangamam.

Preparations for the event are underway at three major centres in Pampa. The TDB has allocated ₹1.85 crore for pandal construction. Work on the fully air-conditioned main venue, which can seat 3,000 people, is almost complete. Facilities such as a green room, media room, and VIP lounge have also been arranged.

The Indian Institute of Infrastructure & Construction is overseeing the work. With only four days left for the programme, repairs have been carried out on the pothole-ridden Chalakkyam–Pampa road, and maintenance work on washrooms at Pampa Manalpuram has been completed.