Kerala: Sabarimala pilgrims are returning without Lord Ayyappa's darshan; here's why
Due to overcrowding at the Sabarimala temple vicinity, the devotees are returning from Pandalam after performing ghee abhishekam. Opposition has slammed the Kerala government for mismanagement of crowd at the Ayyappa temple.
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FollowPathanamthitta: The pilgrims return from the Pandalam without getting the darshan of Sabarimala temple and Lord Ayyappa due to the overwhelming rush. The pilgrims do ghee abhishekam and remove the precious Mala from the temple and then they return after waiting for hours without receiving darshan from Pandalam itself. Without being able to reach Sannidhanam, pilgrims from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka returned from Pandalam. Among those who return without receiving darshan are Malayalis.
Reports stated that the crowd at Sabarimala had become unmanageable, and many people left and went home after visiting the Valiya Koyikkal Sree Dharma Sastha Temple in Pandalam.
After waiting for hours without being able to ascend the mountain, devotees return. There is still an overwhelming influx of devotees and absolutely no respite. KSRTC buses became stalled for hours, forcing many people to wait for up to ten hours. From Pampa, KSRTC buses run every ten minutes. Many vehicles are stuck on the forest route for hours. Pilgrims who get stuck in the forest area, including on the Plapalli Ilavunkal Path, do not get water or food. 89,981 people have booked today for darshans while congestion and restrictions continue.
While they were at odds over the pilgrimage numbers, the Kerala Police and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) came under fire for their inability to efficiently manage the crowd and reduce queues. According to the police, the Devaswom Board is allegedly admitting five times more people through spot reservations than it did when it allowed 5,000–6,000 pilgrims to the shrine without creating virtual lines.
On December 7, 62,000 devotees visited the temple; on the same day the previous year, 72,430 people did the same. According to TDB sources, the equivalent numbers for December 9 are 67,000 and 99,000 devotees, respectively. The shift in police duties is said to have caused a coordination lapse, according to the Board.
However, Devaswom Minister K. Radhakrishnan responded by saying that the coming together of one lakh pilgrims on one day has suddenly created a crisis at Sabarimala and that the problem of one day is being used for political gain. The minister also said that Sabarimala is only a natural crisis that occurs when there is uncontrolled crowding.
TN Prathapan MP has given notice for an urgent motion in the Lok Sabha demanding that the devotees are suffering due to the state government's lack of facilities on Sabarimala and the issue should be discussed. Prathapan demanded that the Devaswom Board and the police were wasting time blaming each other for controlling the traffic and that the central government should intervene in the matter. TN Prathapan also pointed out that virtual queue booking is a complete failure.
