Police ask TDB to halt spot booking on Makaravilakku day

Sabarimala Makaravilakku festival: Police request halt of spot-booking, enforce restrictions for devotees' safety and security.

To prevent overcrowding of devotees during the Makaravilakku festival at Sabarimala, the police have requested the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to completely discontinue the spot-booking facility for pilgrims on the festival day.

According to officials, halting spot booking will allow the police to establish a checkpoint at Nilackal, regulating the flow of devotees to Pampa. Once at Pampa, pilgrims will only be permitted to ascend the hillock after the procession of the holy jewels from Pandalam concludes. The police, in coordination with various departments, will also enforce guidelines to restrict cooking and other activities by devotees camping on the hillock.

To enhance security, special arrangements are being made at vantage points for viewing the celestial light. Traffic to the hillock will be closely monitored and controlled in the days leading up to the festival.

In anticipation of heavy crowds, the TDB has capped daily bookings through its virtual queue system on the official website. The limits are set at 60,000 on January 12; 50,000 on January 13; and 40,000 on January 14.

As per current estimates, a total of 39.02 lakh devotees have had darshan at the Ayyappa temple as of January 5, compared to 35.12 lakh during the same period last season. The number of pilgrims who visited the temple between December 30 and January 5 following its reopening stood at 6.22 lakh.