The daily darshan (viewing of the deity) period at Sabarimala Temple has been shortened to 18 hours, with temple administrators using this move to better manage crowds during pilgrimage season. PS Prashanth, President of the Sabarimala Devaswom Board, confirmed that darshan hours will be 3 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. every day commencing with the pilgrimage season.
The decision attempts to improve the flow of pilgrims, since roughly 80,000 devotees are scheduled to attend the shrine each day. Approximately 70,000 will obtain darshan through the virtual queue method, with the remaining 10,000 able to make on-the-spot appointments.
To enable on-site reservations, many counters have been set up in strategic areas such as Pampa, Erumeli, and Vandiperiyar. Pilgrims who choose spot booking will be required to provide their Aadhaar card as evidence of identification. Seven separate counters have been built in Pampa to handle these bookings. In addition, for the first time, Pampa will have parking spots for 1,500 compact automobiles. Parking will be permitted at Pampail Chukkupalam and Hilltop.
n a move aimed at enhancing the convenience of pilgrims, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will also offer online ticket booking for those wishing to travel to Sabarimala. A special provision has been made for pilgrims to purchase KSRTC tickets when booking their darshan through the virtual queue system. Furthermore, groups of at least 40 people will have the option to book seats on KSRTC buses up to 10 days in advance. If the place of departure is within 10 km of the bus station, pilgrims will be picked up directly from their location.
For the first phase of the 2024 Mandala Makaravilakku pilgrimage, 383 buses have been arranged, with an additional 550 buses planned for the second phase. Kerala’s Minister for Transport, KB Ganesh Kumar, assured that the number of buses will be increased in response to the anticipated surge in passenger numbers during peak periods.
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Source: News 18
