Sabarimala: On the first day of the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage, Sabarimala witnessed an enormous rush. Devotees were standing in queues for hours. People were even climbing over barricades to move forward. Some devotees waited in line for up to seven hours.

Although the Travancore Devaswom Board and the state government had claimed that preparations this year were complete, last-minute rushes remained unchanged as in previous years.
 

Officials admit that the review meetings held to assess preparations were not conducted with the same seriousness as in prior years. The annual meeting chaired by the Chief Minister did not take place this time, and no meetings were held at Pampa.