PATHANAMTHITTA: The number of devotees who have visited the Sabarimala temple during the ongoing pilgrimage season has crossed the 30-lakh mark. As per official figures till December 25, a total of 30,01,532 pilgrims have had darshan at the hill shrine.
In the previous season, the pilgrim count had crossed the 30-lakh mark by December 23 itself, with 30,78,044 devotees.
By December 25, 2024, the total number of pilgrims stood at 32,49,756, while in 2023, around 28.42 lakh devotees had visited the shrine by the same date. This season witnessed unprecedented rush right from the beginning, prompting the authorities to enforce strict restrictions on virtual queue bookings and spot bookings, following directions from the High Court.
The highest number of pilgrims this season was recorded on November 19, four days after the temple was opened, when 1,02,299 devotees offered prayers. The lowest turnout was on December 12, with 49,738 pilgrims.
Compared to previous years, the rush on Sundays was relatively lower this season. On Sunday, December 21, a total of 61,576 devotees visited the shrine. On other days, the footfall remained above 80,000, with 85,847 pilgrims on Monday, 83,845 on Tuesday, 85,388 on Wednesday and 89,729 on Thursday.
In view of the mandala pooja, the number of pilgrims allowed through the virtual queue has been reduced to 30,000 on Friday and 35,000 on Saturday (December 26 and 27). Spot booking has been capped at 2,000.
Meanwhile, restrictions were imposed on the movement of pilgrims from Pampa from Friday morning in connection with the Thanka Anki procession. By 9 am, a total of 22,039 devotees had completed darshan, officials said.