Heavy pilgrim rush at Sabarimala prompts fresh curbs after Kerala HC rebuke

Sabarimala continued to witness an overwhelming influx of pilgrims on Thursday, with wait times for ‘darshan’ stretching up to 12 hours despite new crowd-control measures. The surge comes amid the Mandala-Makaravilakku season, traditionally one of the busiest periods at the hill shrine.

Officials said roughly 65 devotees were climbing the sacred 18 steps every minute, pushing overall footfall far beyond manageable levels. In line with directions issued by the Kerala High Court earlier this week, the Travancore Devaswom Board has now capped daily darshan at 75,000.

Spot bookings have been restricted to 5,000 a day until Monday, while authorities have been instructed to enforce virtual queue bookings strictly. The court has also mandated that pilgrims may enter the temple complex only between six hours before and up to 18 hours after their allotted darshan time, leaving no room for relaxation.

The first major rush on Tuesday exposed significant gaps in planning and infrastructure. More than one lakh pilgrims reached the shrine, resulting in kilometres-long queues and complaints about inadequate drinking water, poor sanitation and limited rest areas. Despite attempts at crowd regulation, the arrangements failed to cope with the sheer volume of devotees.

During a review, the high court criticised officials for insufficient preparation, noting that coordinated planning should have begun months in advance. The bench observed that mismanagement so early in the pilgrimage season was unacceptable.

On Wednesday alone, 80,615 pilgrims had darshan, including nearly 20,000 who entered through spot booking, four times the permitted limit, leading to congestion at Sannidhanam and along the trekking path. Reports of delayed medical support and limited water supply added to pilgrims’ concerns.

As the season gathers momentum, the pressure on authorities to streamline digital booking systems and strengthen on-ground coordination has intensified. The Travancore Devaswom Board has assured immediate corrective steps, while the high court has said compliance will be closely scrutinised.

A state minister, speaking anonymously, alleged that a section had “stage-managed” the unprecedented rush to create confusion ahead of the forthcoming two-phase local body elections. He said multiple entry points to the hilltop shrine remain unmonitored, making it possible for groups to funnel pilgrims in large numbers without passing through official controls.

With agency inputs