THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) is exploring the possibility of introducing a limited spot booking facility for Sabarimala pilgrims this season. During a board meeting on Friday, it was decided that the proposal would be discussed with the state government.
“Online booking is mandatory for darshan during the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, but the board will ensure that no devotee is denied darshan. We will develop a suitable system in consultation with the government,” TDB president P S Prasanth told reporters after the meeting.
A previous meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan confirmed that online booking would be compulsory, with a daily cap of 80,000 visitors. “Our stance on mandatory online booking remains unchanged, as it ensures the safety and security of pilgrims and the temple,” Prasanth said.
The TDB took control of the ‘Virtual Queue’ online booking system from the Kerala Police in 2022-23. Until last season, spot booking was available during various seasons to assist pilgrims without prior online reservations. “A concerning trend was the sharp rise in spot bookings — from 3.95 lakh in 2022-23 to 4.85 lakh in 2023-24,” he said.
‘Surge in pilgrim numbers a challenge’
“It appears spot booking encouraged many to bypass the online system,” Prasanth said. He attributed the surge in spot bookings to the long queues and difficulties experienced by pilgrims last season.
“On some days, as many as 20,000 spot bookings were made. With increasing crowds, only minimal details of pilgrims were collected at spot booking counters, which poses a serious security risk to the shrine. Additionally, the abnormal increase in pilgrim numbers makes crowd control challenging,” he said.
Spot bookings also disrupted the schedules of pilgrims who had pre-booked slots via the virtual queue. Board members A Ajikumar and K Sundaresan also attended the press conference. TDB president P S Prasanth said the pilgrims who book slots through the virtual queue need not worry if they arrive late.
“They will be allowed to visit the shrine up to 24 hours before or after their booked slot,” he said. Darshan timings: 3am to 1pm and 3pm to 11pm, totalling 17 hours of darshan time during the pilgrimage season.
