Kerala government defends online-only Sabarimala pilgrimage bookings

Despite fierce criticism from both the Congress and the BJP, the Kerala government has stood firm in its decision to implement online-only bookings for the upcoming Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season at Sabarimala. The decision, aimed at ensuring smooth management of the pilgrimage, was defended by Devaswom minister VN Vasavan during an assembly session.
Minister Vasavan clarified that the online booking system is necessary to regulate the daily number of pilgrims, which could otherwise exceed 80,000, posing logistical challenges. He was responding to a submission by Opposition leader VD Satheesan, who urged the government to withdraw the decision and allow spot bookings for darshan, as was the practice in previous years.
“In the past, allowing spot booking led to overwhelming crowds that severely strained the facilities and preparations, hampering the smooth conduct of the pilgrimage,” Vasavan said. To address concerns about accessibility, he announced enhancements to the virtual queue system. Pilgrims will now be able to better understand their booked slots through color-coded indicators. The system will also track the routes pilgrims take to help manage crowds effectively at Sabarimala.
However, Satheesan, expressed strong concerns about the online-only policy, particularly for devotees arriving from other states. “Tens of thousands of devotees, especially from other states, are unaware of the online booking requirement. Many of them, after fasting for 41 days, might have to return without darshan due to lack of online slots,” he argued. He called for a system to accommodate devotees who arrive without pre-booking, recalling that, until 2018, all pilgrims who reached Sabarimala were able to have darshan.
BJP state president K Surendran also condemned the government’s decision, alleging a ‘conspiracy’ to disrupt the pilgrimage. “Devotees from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu will be affected. We demand a certain percentage of spot bookings and better amenities. Complaints about inadequate facilities have always been an issue, and we will protest against this move by the CPIM government,” he said.
The government faced severe backlash last year after its failure to manage the pilgrims visiting the holy shrine during the Mandalam pilgrimage season. Several lapses in crowd management and basic amenities being provided led to pilgrims even returning without darshan.