On Monday, the Kerala High Court conducted a special session and issued directives to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to furnish water, snacks, and other amenities at the ‘Edathavalams’ for devotees en route to the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa shrine for the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage.
A bench comprising Justices Anil K Narendran and G Girish convened the special session in response to news reports asserting that devotees, including children, had been stranded on the roads to Sabarimala for over 12 hours without access to food or water.
The bench mandated the TDB to ensure the provision of water, snacks, and other facilities at the ‘Edathavalams,’ which serve as temporary resting spots for pilgrims, as stated by a lawyer involved in the case.
Furthermore, the court instructed the State Police chief to oversee crowd control operations in and around the shrine comprehensively and deploy additional police personnel if deemed necessary, as conveyed by the lawyer.
Reports also highlighted that pilgrims’ vehicles were halted on the roads at various points for extended periods due to the substantial rush at Sabarimala.
Devotees from neighboring states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, featured on TV channels, reported being stopped at different locations on the route to Sabarimala without any arrangements for sustenance.
Even devotees at Sannidhanam in Sabarimala expressed grievances about being stranded in queues for several hours.
According to TDB sources, approximately 1.2 lakh people visited the shrine on Sunday for darshan, with a similar number present on Monday.
The sources noted an unprecedented increase in the number of children participating in the pilgrimage this year.
Meanwhile, TDB president P S Prasanth informed reporters about the challenge posed by the substantial influx of devotees during Mandala puja.
Regarding the arrangements made to accommodate the surge in numbers, he disclosed that parking capacities were augmented from 7,000 to 8,000.
He also emphasized strict instructions to stop vehicles in areas where water and food were available.
Prasanth communicated, “Spoke to senior police officers of Pathanamthitta district, and they informed me that vehicles were stopped in areas where water and food were available. We believe no one will have to go back without getting darshan of Lord Ayyappa.”
The police informed the media that 88,000 individuals were booked through a virtual queue on Monday, and additional attendees were expected without prior registration.
They assured that measures had been implemented to prevent pilgrims from being halted along the pilgrimage route.
