Sabarimala, Dec 26 (IANS): There has been a record turnout of pilgrims at Kerala's Sabarimala temple, where the first phase of the two-month-long 2024-25 pilgrimage ends on Thursday.
Compared to the first phase of the 2023-24 festival season, this time there has been an increase of 4,07,309 pilgrims and the total number touched 32,49,756, up from 28,42,447 in 2023-24.
The two-month-long season is spread between two phases, phase one began on November 16 and will close on Thursday evening (December 26).
Phase two will commence on December 30, with the most important day of the pilgrimage being on January 14, and then, it will close after a few days.
This time, the temple authorities have decided to regulate the number of pilgrims who are allowed to have darshan every day to 70,000, which includes 60,000 who have to book online and 10,000 who are given spot bookings.
To manage the milling crowds, the timings also have been altered as the temple opens every day at 3 a.m. and closes at 1 p.m. and then, opens again at 3 p.m. and closes at 11 p.m.
Situated on the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats at an altitude of 914 metres above sea level, Sabarimala temple is four kilometres uphill from Pamba in the Pathanamthitta district, which is around 100 km from the state capital.
The temple, which bars the entry of women who have attained puberty, is accessible only on foot from the Pamba River. As per practice, before setting off to the holy shrine, a pilgrim normally undertakes an intense 41-day penance where he does not wear footwear, wears a black dhoti, and sticks to strict vegetarian food. Every pilgrim carries 'lrumudi', a prayer kit which contains coconuts which are broken just before climbing the 18 steps, on his head, during the pilgrimage and without it, no one is allowed to step onto the holy 18 steps at the 'Sannidhanam'.
This season, a record close to 14,000 police officials, along with volunteers, are posted on security duty and give a helping hand to the pilgrims.
The parking facility for pilgrims has now been increased to 10,000 parking slots besides there are rate cards in various South Indian languages on display at all the restaurants in and around the temple town. The healthcare facilities in and around the temple town also have state-of-the-art facilities for the pilgrims.
To make the pilgrimage more pilgrim-friendly, the authorities this season launched a multilingual microsite (https://www.keralatourism.org/sabarimala/) which provides pilgrims across the country with information about the hill shrine's traditions, customs, and culture, as well as the latest updates and geographical insights.
The site is available in five languages: English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada. It also includes short footage providing all the details of southern India’s prominent pilgrim site.
The microsite includes details of other important temples near Sabarimala, a detailed route map, and hotel facilities near temples, which will help pilgrims travel from other states. It also features a dedicated gallery with hundreds of pictures related to Sabarimala.
It also includes a detailed pilgrim guide that provides in-depth information about the customs and traditions of Sabarimala and the temple's history.