Crowd regulation for Makaravilakku in Sabarimala; security measures in place

Sabarimala, Kerala: With only three days left for Makaravilakku, measures have been implemented to control the large crowd at Sabarimala. So far, 80,000 people have entered, including 10,000 spot bookings on a single day. This practice will continue on Saturday as well.

From Thursday, the number of spot bookings has been reduced to 5,000, and on Makaravilakku day, this will be limited to just 1,000. Based on these numbers, a total of 2,46,000 people can enter Sabarimala before Makaravilakku. If special passes are included, the number will exceed 2,50,000. Authorities believe that most of the devotees who have already reached Sannidhanam will remain there until Makaravilakku.

Crowd control and entry limits

Going forward, the number of entrants will be carefully regulated:

Virtual queue entry

• 60,000 people will be allowed entry on January 12
• 50,000 on January 13
• 40,000 on Makaravilakku day, January 14.

If the number of people in Sannidhanam exceeds 3.5 lakh on Makaravilakku day, it will be difficult to manage the crowd. This is why the arrival of devotees is being carefully controlled.

Spot booking shifted, parking restrictions in place

In an effort to further control the crowd, spot booking has been moved from Pampa to Nilakkal, where 10 counters will operate. Vehicle parking will also be restricted. No parking will be allowed at Pampa Hilltop from 8:00 am on January 12 to 2:00 pm on January 15. Only emergency transport and KSRTC vehicles carrying devotees back will be permitted. Parking will be available at Chalakayam and Nilakkal during this period. Additional security arrangements have been made, particularly at Valiyanavattam, where the Thiruvabharanam procession will arrive.