According to Sunday’s statement made by Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Arun S Nair, the annual Makaravilakku festival at the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple in Kerala has been confirmed and all arrangements have been made. The event will be on January 14.
He also clarified that the barricading and the placing of all the necessary arrangements have been completed for the safety of the devotees. The authorities, after the Kerala High Court’s directions, have set up very stringent restrictions on the number of pilgrims in order to control dense crowds during the festival.
Devotee Limits Announced
On January 13, a total of 40,000 devotees will be allowed — 35,000 through virtual queue booking and 5,000 via spot booking.
On the main festival day, January 14, the number has been capped at 30,000 devotees through virtual queue only.
From January 15th to 18th, admission will be granted to 50,000 worshippers each day, with 5,000 allowed to enter by spot booking and the rest being admitted via a virtual queue. The number of worshippers on the 19th will be limited again to 30,000.
Traffic and Movement Restrictions
The Thiruvabharanam procession, which begins from Pandalam on January 12, is scheduled to reach Sannidhanam on January 14. Therefore, the influx of devotees will be put on hold for a short time on January 14 —
- From 10 am on the Nilakkal–Pamba route
- From 11 am on the Pamba–Sannidhanam route
The prohibition of parking private vehicles at the hilltop will be in effect from the morning of January 12 to the afternoon of January 15, during which devotees are required to park their vehicles at Nilakkal. In addition, restrictions on movement through the Erumeli forest route will come into effect from the evening of January 13.
Security and Facilities
To handle the influx, the Travancore Devaswom Board is making provisions for food and water for the worshippers. An extensive plan for crowd management has been prepared by the police, who will be deploying additional personnel along with the RAF, NDRF, and other central forces to provide support.
The transportation of pilgrims will be facilitated by approximately 1,000 KSRTC buses. In addition, there is a total prohibition on illegal huts and cooking within the forest areas. The ADM stated that police, forestry, and fire brigades are conducting inspections around the clock to monitor compliance.
