Less than a day after implementing an abrupt cut in the daily quota of virtual queue bookings, the authorities have decided to extend the darshan time for devotees at Sabarimala during the ongoing pilgrimage season by one more hour.
The decision, which followed a discussion between the Devaswom Minister K.Radhakrishnan and the Sabarimala temple Tantri Kandararu Mahesh Mohanararu, is being implemented amidst signs that the crowds at different points within the pilgrimage zone are dangerously dense. Accordingly, Melshanti P.N. Mahesh Namboothiri opened the temple at 3 p.m on Sunday, taking the overall darshan time per day to 18 hours from 17 hours.
The move is expected to offer a huge respite to the hundreds of devotees stuck in the queues as well as in their vehicles en route to the temple for several hours.
