Devotee turnout crosses 5.75 lakh at Sabarimala in first week of pilgrimage season

More than 5.75 lakh pilgrims have visited the Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala within the first week of the mandala-makaravilakku season, which began on November 16.

A statement issued by the Information and Public Relations Department reported that by 7 pm on Saturday, the footfall at the hill shrine had crossed 5.75 lakh. On Saturday alone, 72,845 devotees arrived at the sannidhanam by that time.

Authorities said arrangements at the shrine had ensured an uninterrupted flow of pilgrims. “While the flow of devotees continues without interruption, all arrangements for smooth darshan have been made at sannidhanam. Devotees were able to climb the sacred eighteen steps without waiting at the large queue shelter,” they noted.
They also clarified that intermittent rainfall at the Sannidhanam from noon onwards had no impact on the pilgrimage.

The Kerala High Court had earlier instructed the administration to enhance crowd control after heavy congestion during the initial days of the season and set a temporary limit of 5,000 spot bookings each day. As crowd regulation improved, the court on Friday permitted authorities to modify this limit depending on the daily crowd.

Meanwhile, Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan convened a review meeting on Saturday with Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials and representatives from key departments involved in the Sabarimala arrangements. The meeting assessed the crowd management strategies and the facilities provided for pilgrims. TDB officials said the gathering resolved to further reinforce crowd-control measures to ensure that more devotees are able to complete darshan without queues.