Taking into consideration the likelihood of pilgrims overstaying on the hillock coupled with a sharp surge in inflow, authorities are introducing rapid measures with a view to easing the rush of devotees anticipated for the Makaravilakku festival at Sabarimala.
P.S. Prasanth, president, Travancore Devaswom Board, says the cap on virtual queue bookings per day will be brought down to 50,000 on January 14 and 15. Anticipating a rush of pilgrims without prior bookings, the daily limit of spot bookings on these days will be limited strictly at 10,000.
Further, the devotees making their way to the temple on these days will be directed to book their spots at Nilackal instead of proceeding directly to Pampa. “These are the two days when the temple is slated to witness the highest footfall. These measures are being brought into keep the crowd, especially on the day of the Makaravilakku on January 15, under control,” he says.
The board will convene a meeting at Erumely to decide on the arrangements to be made at the various vantage points outside the Sabarimala pilgrimage zone where devotees are slated to converge for viewing the Makaravilakku.
“Pullumedu, which has witnessed a steady flow of pilgrims this season, is one such point where elaborate arrangements have to be made. As per estimates, around 35,000 people viewed the Makaravilakku from the point last time,” says Mr. Prasanth.
Meanwhile, the income during the first phase of the pilgrimage season at Sabarimala has touched a new high with the income from the first 40 days of pilgrimage crossing ₹241 crore. The figure marks an improvement of over ₹18.72 crore from the income received during the previous season .
The overall income, according to the TDB, will rise further if the collections on the final day as well as the huge pile of coins received as donation are taken into account. “These coins alone will come around ₹6 crore and the income will rise further when the parking fee received from Nilackal is included,” says Mr. Prasanth.
The income received through kuthakalelam (auctioning of various services) is estimated to be ₹37.40 crore.
Meanwhile, Devaswom Minister K. Radhakrishnan, who visited the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple here on Wednesday, says new systems will be put in place to manage the rush when the temple reopens on December 30. From Sabaripeedom to the Sannidhanam, the services of civil defence volunteers will be made available at 36 centres.
KSRTC buses operating long-haul services from Pampa will move out of the pilgrimage zone directly without stopping at Nilackal. “The influx of children, the differently abled, and the elderly are causing delays in ascending the holy 18 steps. Around 12,000 children have climbed the hillock on a daily basis and their number is not included on the virtual queue booking. An additional batch of about 5,000 devotees too reached the Sannidhanam directly through the forest route,” he says.
