THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: All pilgrims visiting the Sabarimala temple, including those travelling on the forest routes, will have to make prior online booking during the upcoming Mandala-Makaravilakku season.
Also, the daily number of pilgrims visiting the shrine will be limited to 80,000.
The Travancore Devaswom Board’s (TDB) proposal to make Virtual Queue booking mandatory for all pilgrims was approved by the high-level committee chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday. The meeting reviewed the arrangements for the pilgrimage season.
“Virtual Queue booking is mandatory and those coming without prior booking will not be allowed to trek the main Pampa-Sannidhanam route, and also the forest routes from Sathram and Azhutha-Kalaketti. Drinking water and ‘kanji’ (gruel) supply will be arranged on the forest routes,” TDB president P S Prasanth told TNIE. There will be no spot booking facility for pilgrims on any route this year.
Prasanth said the pilgrims would have the freedom to change their route. For instance, a person who booked travel through the Sathram forest route can opt for the Pampa route at the last minute. There is no need to make changes online and the person can take the route of their choice, he said.
“Our concern is the daily intake of pilgrims. They are free to change routes if required,” he said.
The CM has directed the ministers of devaswom and forest and the TDB president to hold a meeting to discuss the arrangements to be made on the forest routes.
Meanwhile, the TDB will open a women’s restroom and breastfeeding facility at Pampa for the convenience of young mothers whose babies are taken to the shrine for their first rice-feeding ritual.
“Young women are allowed only up to Pampa. Until the previous season, there was no designated place for the mothers to take rest,” said Prasanth.
New restroom for women to be set up
“The new restroom will be on the top floor of the Devaswom Board building at Pampa. A feeding room will also be set up there,” Prasanth said.
During the last season, there were three nadappandals (covered walkway) at Pampa, where the pilgrims would wait in queue. This time, four additional nadappandals will be built. Together the seven facilities can accommodate 3,000 people.
A new temporary shed will be built to compensate for the Ramamoorthy Mandapam, a resting facility for pilgrims, that was washed away in the 2018 floods. About 3,000 pilgrims can take rest at the facility.
The TDB will provide ‘chukkuvellam’ and biscuits to all pilgrims waiting in the nadappandals and the shed. They will be supplied on the Pampa-Sannidhanam route as well.
