Thiruvananthapuram: All major arrangements to ensure smooth and safe darshan for devotees during the Sabarimala Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season have been completed, Thiruvananthapuram Devaswom Board President K. Jayakumar has stated. The pathway to the Sabarimala temple will open at 4 PM on November 16. Extensive systems have been established to control the flow of pilgrims, enhance basic facilities, and make prasadam distribution more efficient. He added that all major maintenance work has been completed and the remaining minor tasks will be finished soon.
Stainless steel seating has been installed at various points for devotees to rest during the climb. Coolers will be arranged in the German pandal at Nilakkal to provide relief to devotees, with a seating capacity for approximately 6,000 people at once. Despite the expected increase in crowd, ensuring maximum facilities is the board’s goal, K. Jayakumar said.
Special measures have been taken to guarantee the availability of prasadam such as aravana and appam throughout the Mandala season. The existing aravana distribution setup has been expanded by adding 5 additional counters, raising the total to 22 counters: 19 allotted to Dhanalakshmi Bank and 3 to South Indian Bank. Moreover, five aravana kiosks of South Indian Bank will be established. Facilities to receive aravana prasadam by postal delivery will also be provided. Devotees requesting so can have aravana sent via postal service, which will help reduce crowds at the temple and allow more devotees to obtain prasadam.
K. Jayakumar stated that at the start of the Mandala pilgrimage on Vrischikam 1, there will be a stock of 50 lakh tins of aravana. Adequate quantities of appam have also been stored. He assured that there will be no shortage of either aravana or appam during the pilgrimage and devotees need not worry about prasadam availability.
Digital payment systems will be further expanded at the darshan counters and prasadam distribution centers in Sabarimala. Arrangements will ensure fast and convenient payments for devotees through 14 counters. While digital payments are prioritized, cash payments will continue to be permitted to avoid difficulties for devotees unable to use digital methods. Minimizing waiting times at counters remains a key focus.
Devotees who book darshan through the virtual queue system will receive insurance coverage worth Rs 2 lakh in case of accidents. This insurance is part of the Devaswom Board’s enhanced focus on pilgrim safety. The coverage applies for three days: the day before, the day of, and the day after the booked darshan date. Nominee information is collected at the time of virtual queue booking to facilitate smooth insurance claim processes in case of accidents.
Procurement of ghee from Milma to meet Sabarimala’s requirements is underway, with vigilance clearance received for Milma’s ghee, K. Jayakumar informed. The purchase price is Rs 660 per liter, which is lower than the rates proposed by other tender participants. To ensure safe transport, Milma’s shielded vehicles will deliver the ghee to Sabarimala. An initial 5,000 liters of ghee have already arrived, with another 5,000 liters expected soon. The remaining quantity will be delivered after contract finalization, he added. Special attention is being paid to maintaining the quality and safety of ghee during the Mandala season.
As part of expanding vehicle parking facilities for pilgrims, parking will be allowed this year at Chakkupalam in Pamba. This is intended to improve traffic management due to the expected increase in vehicles during the pilgrimage. The Devaswom Board is working to make all arrangements from Nilakkal to Sannidhanam more efficient. Special care has been taken regarding devotees’ rest, prasadam distribution, payment mechanisms, safety, and vehicle parking.
K. Jayakumar emphasized that the aim is for every devotee visiting Sabarimala during the Mandala season to undertake darshan with minimal inconvenience, and that all essential arrangements have been completed to achieve this objective.
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Original Malayalam report: Malayalam Daily News
