Kerala’s temple affairs minister VN Vasavan reiterated on Sunday that the administration will not go back on disallowing spot booking for the Sabarimala annual pilgrimage and promised to set up Akshaya centres, part of the government’s digitisation drive, to help pilgrims with virtual queue slots.
The government’s decision comes in the wake of protest warnings issued by Hindu outfits and opposition parties such as the Congress, which have demanded that spot bookings be utilised along with online booking to accommodate pilgrims who may not be computer-literate.
Last year’s annual pilgrimage season, which usually extends from mid-November to mid-January at the hilltop shrine dedicated to Hindu god Ayyappa, witnessed protests from a section of pilgrims, who complained of lack of basic facilities such as drinking water, food and toilets on the temple premises. The 2023-24 season had seen daily pilgrim count at the temple go beyond 90,000 and 1 lakh on certain days, resulting in bad crowd management.
“This year, we have decided to cap the number of daily pilgrims at the temple at 80,000 to ensure a smooth and comfortable experience for the faithful. The Travancore Devaswom Board president has made it clear that all pilgrims, especially those who are undertaking a 41-day vow and carrying “irumudikettu” (a travel kit containing offerings for the deity) will be able to conduct prayers and go back home. There is no need for any controversies,” Vasavan told reporters.
When the pilgrim count rose up considerably during the last year’s season, it caused congestion and a lot of problems for a section of the pilgrims, the minister said.
{{/usCountry}}When the pilgrim count rose up considerably during the last year’s season, it caused congestion and a lot of problems for a section of the pilgrims, the minister said.
{{/usCountry}}“Even if there is no spot booking this year, we will set up Akshaya centres at the main halting centres of the pilgrimage. This will help us know the whereabouts and origins of these pilgrims. If an accident occurs, we will be able to serve these pilgrims in a better fashion. No pilgrim will be denied the chance to offer prayers,” the minister said.
Such Akshaya centres, which will help pilgrims book virtual queue slots before reaching the temple, will come up in the chief halting areas such as Ettumanoor, Erumely, Kadappattoor and Chengannur, he added.
At the same time, various Hindu outfits and Ayyappa devotee groups announced that they will launch a mega protest on October 26 in Pandalam against the government’s decision. The outfits claim that the move to revoke spot booking would cause hassles for inter-state pilgrims, who arrive in large groups and may not be familiar with the state’s virtual queue system.