The rush of pilgrims at Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala for the annual Mandalam pilgrimage was brought under control on Wednesday, with authorities limiting virtual queue bookings, increasing the darshan time by one hour and heightening security measures on the route to the temple.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF)-led Kerala government, which has come under sharp criticism from opposition Congress and the BJP over its alleged failure in managing the heavy footfall at the hill shrine, rushed Devaswom minister K Radhakrishnan to Sabarimala to review the crowd management measures with top officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which administers the temple.
“On December 7, the highest number of pilgrims was recorded at Sabarimala at 1.02 lakh [102,000]. The average is around 80,000. This year, we have seen a 30% rise in the number of women, children and elderly pilgrims compared to last season. Naturally, such people cannot climb the ‘pathinettampadi’ (the holy 18 steps leading to the temple) easily. This, along with the rise in the number of overall pilgrims, led to a situation where we faced some problems,” the minister told reporters.
To manage crowd, the darshan time at the temple has been increased from 17 to 18 hours a day and virtual queue bookings have been slashed from 90,000 to 80,000 a day, he said, adding that security measures have been stepped up at Erumely, Pamba and Nilackal.
“Registration on the spot for pilgrims has also been limited in a manner in which crowds at the hilltop shrine can be controlled,” the minister said.
Around 62,000 pilgrims visited Sabarimala every day in the first 19 days of the Mandalam season, which began on November 17. The number rose steeply since December 6, triggering the heavy rush at the hillock temple.
Meanwhile, the Kerala BJP attacked the government, alleging it failed to manage the pilgrim rush. “The INDI Alliance and their state governments are actively persecuting Hindu believers in their relentless pursuit to eradicate our ancient faith. The scars are evident in Sabarimala Temple…” it said in a statement.
BJP’s youth wing held protests at different parts of the state, including capital Thiruvananthapuram, alleging mismanagement by the state government
The Congress also slammed the Pinarayi Vijayan government over the handling of devotees. “…Mismanagement has crossed limits and LDF government is not doing anything to help the devotees. Ayyappa devotees are returning without getting Dharshanam of Lord Ayyappa which has never happened in history of Sabarimala. Lack of transport facilities, lack of medical support, lack drinking water & food has been raised by many devotees,” leader of opposition VD Satheesan said.
Reacting to allegations, minister Radhakrishnan, who rushed to Sabarimala leaving the ongoing Nava Kerala Sadas outreach campaign of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led LDF, said that “sinister allegations” were spread with “ulterior motives” against the Sabarimala pilgrimage by a few people.
“The temple priest has said that in 2015, there have been cases of people standing in queues for 15 or 16 hours. Then, such allegations were never raised. When there’s a natural rise in number of pilgrims, the queues may get longer,” he added.
Over the past few days, there have been complaints from pilgrims of lack of basic amenities, such as drinking water, food and toilets on the way to the shrine. There have also been allegations that buses and vehicles carrying pilgrims are being stopped indiscriminately for hours at several junctions and towns on the way to Sabarimala.
Pilgrim dies on way to temple
A 45-year-old pilgrim from Chathannur in Kollam district died at Zero Point on the Sathram-Sabarimala route on Wednesday morning. Police said the pilgrim collapsed while heading to the shrine through the traditional forest route. His body has been shifted to a government hospital for post-mortem examination, officials said.
HC issues guidelines
The Kerala high court has issued guidelines, including special queues for women, children and differently-abled, distribution of biscuits and ‘chukku vellam’ (water boiled with dried ginger) for those standing in queues and pilgrim sheds, deploying employees in shifts for cleanliness of amenities and finding more parking grounds on the way.