The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has announced that only 5,000 spot bookings will be allowed each day for Sabarimala darshan, following instructions from the Kerala High Court.

In a press release on Thursday, the board said spot bookings will now be available only at Nilakkal and Vandiperiyar, while the centres at Pampa, Erumeli, and Chengannur will stop this service until November 24.

The board has requested all devotees to rely mainly on the Virtual Queue system and to follow their allotted date and time strictly.

A division bench of the Kerala High Court, led by Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar, pulled up the TDB for poor crowd management.

The court noted that the situation had “spiralled out of control” when about two lakh devotees reached the hill shrine within just 48 hours of the temple opening on November 17.

The judges pointed out that nearly one lakh pilgrims are allowed darshan every day during the Mandalam–Makaravilakku season, and over 50 lakh pilgrims visit each year. They said the current arrangements were not enough to handle such large numbers.

A review meeting was held at Sabarimala on Thursday to assess the arrangements for the ongoing pilgrimage season.
The meeting, chaired by Additional District Magistrate Arun S. Nair, concluded that the heavy rush seen early this week has now been brought under control and that smooth and safe darshan is being ensured.

Officials said the issues that appeared in the first few days have been fully resolved. The team also reviewed facilities for:

  • Emergency medical care

  • Crowd control

  • Sanitation

  • Drinking water

  • Food distribution

Authorities assured that all departments are working together to provide a safe experience for pilgrims during the peak season.