Sabarimala 'makaravilakku' festival: No pilgrim access via traditional forest path starting Saturday

Sabarimala: The pilgrims will no longer be allowed to use the traditional forest path starting Saturday as security measures are intensified for the Makaravilakku festival in the hill shrine.

Additionally, cooking food at Pampa and Sannidhanam will be prohibited. Vehicle parking at Pampa will also be restricted, according to ADM Arun S. Nair at a press conference. Virtual queue bookings will allow 60,000 pilgrims on Jan. 12, 50,000 on Jan. 13, and 40,000 on Jan. 14.

A procession with the sacred ornament (Thiruvabharanam) for Lord Ayyappa will begin from Pandalam at 1 p.m. on Dec. 12, announced P S Prasanth, president of the Travancore Devaswom Board.

The Pampa Sangamam will be inaugurated by Minister V N Vasavan on Dec. 12, with actor Jayaram as the chief guest. On Dec 14, the Harivarasanam Award will be presented to noted Malayalam lyricist Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri at the Sannidhanam Auditorium.

Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court has ordered that pilgrims be prohibited from cooking food at Sannidhanam and its surrounding areas, citing security concerns. The court instructed that cooking gas cylinders and utensils being carried by pilgrims be confiscated by the police. The court also emphasized that pilgrims do not need to cook food as the complex near Malikappuram provides 24-hour food service.

The court further directed authorities to regulate pilgrim flow along the traditional routes. Devaswom Board lawyer Adv. G. Biju clarified that fully banning these traditional routes is not practical. No vehicles will be allowed to park at Pampa from 8 a.m. on Dec. 12 until 2 p.m. on Dec. 15.