Heavy rush for Tula masa puja; devotees much more than previous years

Pathanamthitta(Kerala): The number of devotees turning up for ‘darshan’ at the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala here for the Tula masa puja is much more than previous years with around 1.22 lakh pilgrims having come there till now since October 16, the police said on Saturday.

Besides the number of pilgrims coming for the puja, even the number of bookings made through the virtual queue system is more than the previous years, the police said in a release.

The virtual queue bookings on Friday and Saturday exceeded 50,000, it said.

The District Police Chief, in the release, said that during the morning and afternoon pujas, the devotees standing in line will face a slight delay in ‘darshan’ of the deity.

The increase in number of devotees assumes importance as the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage to the hill-top shrine is just a month away.

The 41-day long annual pilgrimage will see devotees turning up for darshan from various states and the rush of pilgrims is expected to be much more than now.

The state government had decided to restrict the number of devotees each day to 80,000, who will have to book slots through the virtual queue system as there will be no spot booking method, a move which was widely criticised by the opposition Congress and the BJP.

In the virtual queue system, pilgrims can book their darshan tickets and prasadam online through the official website of the Sabarimala temple.

In spot booking, pilgrims can book slots for their darshan at designated centres identified by the Devaswom Board.

Following the criticism, the government backtracked from its earlier decision and said that the pilgrims who visit Sabarimala without virtual queue booking will also be provided smooth darshan at the Lord Ayyappa temple.