Surge in Pilgrims to Sabarimala: Visitor Count Crosses 11 Lakh

Sabarimala: The flow of pilgrims to Sabarimala has increased significantly, with nearly one lakh devotees climbing the hill for darshan on consecutive days. During the ongoing Mandala-Makaravilakku season, the total number of visitors has already crossed 11 lakh.

To manage the rush, devotees are being permitted to proceed from Pampa to Sannidhanam based on real-time crowd density at the temple premises. This system has helped ensure smooth and timely darshan without long waiting hours.

Pilgrims have expressed satisfaction with the crowd management, attributing the smooth experience to the effective arrangements made by the Devaswom Board. The spot booking capacity for darshan will remain fixed at 5,000 in view of the sustained rush.

With many devotees arriving from neighbouring states, KSRTC has expanded interstate services for Sabarimala pilgrims. The Pampa–Coimbatore KSRTC bus departs Coimbatore at 9:30 pm and returns from Pampa at 9 am the next morning. From today, the Punalur depot will operate on the Pampa–Tenkasi route, leaving Tenkasi at 7 pm and returning from Pampa at 9 am.

Additional services are being arranged to destinations including Palani, Tirunelveli, Kambam, and Chennai. Officials also confirmed that buses will be scheduled to Karnataka based on pilgrim demand. To facilitate these routes, 67 KSRTC buses have been newly granted interstate permits.