Rush returns to Sabarimala ahead of Mandala Pooja on Dec 27

Sabarimala: With the Mandala Pooja season drawing near, the Sabarimala sannidhanam has been witnessing a heavy flow of devotees. After a brief lull, the number of pilgrims who had darshan on Monday crossed one lakh. From midnight Sunday to 12 midnight on Monday, a total of 1,05,738 pilgrims offered worship.

Being a holiday, Sunday saw relatively less crowd. 61,576 devotees visited Sabarimala on Sunday. During the initial days of this season, an average of one lakh pilgrims arrived daily for darshan. However, after about two weeks, the rush had declined. It is only now that the daily number of devotees has once again crossed the one-lakh mark.

While more than 1,800 devotees per hour climbed the holy 18 steps on Sunday, the number rose to over 3,500 per hour on Monday. From early Tuesday morning, there was a steady flow of pilgrims from Pamba. Police regulation was enforced from Marakkoottam onwards. Devotees were able to reach the sannidhanam only after long waiting hours in the queue complexes.

By Tuesday noon, 53,400 devotees had arrived. The number of pilgrims reaching Sabarimala via the Pulmedu route has also increased. However, only a maximum of 5,000 pilgrims per day are allowed through Pulmedu. So far this season, the number of devotees who have reached the sannidhanam via Pulmedu has crossed one lakh.