The hill shrine of Sabarimala has been experiencing heavy rush since Friday, December 8. This has resulted in long queues of devotees who had to spend up to 18 hours waiting for darshan without water or food.
On Saturday, December 9, Padmashri, 12-year-old girl from Tamil Nadu collapsed and died at the Appachimedu stretch enroute the temple. Reports however said the girl was suffering from a heart condition. On the same day, the Kerala High Court instructed the Devaswom board to consult with priests on the possibility of extending darshan timings to ease the crowd situation.
The Kerala Police has a capacity to control an influx of 75,000 pilgrims per day but reports from December 9 and 10 said over one lakh devotees found their way to the Ayyappal shrine. The ongoing heavy rush has prompted authorities to reduce virtual queue bookings and, on December 10, extend overall darshan time to alleviate the strain on pilgrims.
Devaswom Board President PS Prasanth told TNM that it is better to avoid visits during weekends. “It is my request that people avoid the visit during weekends. Some devotees spend time on the steps (Pathinettampadi) to Sannidhanam by bowing down in each step, which also should be avoided,” he said.
The average time taken for darshan every day is now around 17 to 18 hours and this has led to a long queue. The virtual queue booking limit was reduced from 90,000 to 80,000 on December 10. The state government and the Devaswom board has also decided to extend the darshan time for the devotees by one more hour.
Prasanth said the crowd situation was due to the weekend rush. “This particular rush is due to the weekend, a time more convenient for people. Around 26,000 people can pass in one hour from Pathinettampadi to Sabari Peedam but in the case of Pathinettampadi, only 4,000 people can pass in one hour. The width of the Pathinettampadi is only 80 centimetres so only three people can stand at a time. According to the police, a healthy person needs six seconds to climb all 18 steps but when it comes to children, women or disabled people it will take more time. This also causes delay and rush,” he said.
Developing infrastructure in Sabarimala is also difficult because of ecological sensitivity, he said.
The devotees, who are forced to wait in long queues without food and water, are demanding a separate queue for women and children. Prasanth said the authorities are providing drinking water on several counters and a resting place near Sabari Peedam.
He said the film Malikappuram and some devotional serials may have contributed to the high number of devotees this year. “The number of girl children and women has increased this year due to the Malikappuram film and some other serials. I am not saying it is the only reason, but one of them,” he said.
Malikappuram, a Malayalam film released in December 2022, starring Unni Mukundan told the story of children's faith towards Lord Ayyappa, the deity of the hill shrine.
To manage the crowd at Pamba and Sannidhanam police blocked the vehicles of the devotees at different points in Thulappally, Plappally and Laha. Media reports said the devotees were left with no option and waited in their vehicles without access to food and water.
The Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party in the state have criticised the Kerala government for its failure to provide basic facilities to devotees. The leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan wrote a letter to the Chief Minister pointing out the lack of basic facilities for pilgrims.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President K Sudhakaran asked the Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan to leave the ongoing Nava Kerala Sadas and take responsibility for streamlining the pilgrimage to Sabarimala.
Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan said the criticism related to the rush at Sabarimala is politically motivated. The police have not failed, and devotees had to wait for a long time due to the overcrowding in Pathinettampadi. He said the authorities will take steps to provide light refreshments for the devotees waiting in the queue.