Sabarimala to open for Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage tomorrow; extensive arrangements in place

Pathanamthitta (Kerala) [India], November 15 (ANI): The Sabarimala temple will open on Sunday evening for the annual Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, with extensive preparations completed for the safety of devotees. The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) said all arrangements have been completed.
The sanctum sanctorum will open at 5 PM, during which E D Prasad will assume charge as the new Melshanthi (chief priest) of Sabarimala, and M G Manu will take charge as the Melshanthi of Malikappuram. The newly appointed Devaswom Board President K Jayakumar IAS (Retd), who took charge today, will arrive at Sannidhanam tomorrow.
Ahead of the pilgrimage, large scale arrangements have been completed in Sannidhanam, Pamba and the trekking routes. Benches have been set up along Chandranandan Road from Marakkoottam to Sannidhanam for devotees to rest, a release said.
A 400 metre long retaining wall has been constructed on both sides of the queue complex between Valiyanadapandal and Saramkuthi, providing additional seating facilities. Hot drinking water kiosks have been installed, and 56 ginger water distribution points will function between Pamba and Sannidhanam.
A total of 1,200 sanitation volunteers and Devaswom Board cleaning staff will work round-the-clock. Additionally, 420 temporary workers have been deployed for cleaning tasks. Sannidhanam now has 1005 toilet units, including 885 free and 120 paid facilities. Another 164 toilets have been arranged along the Saramkuthi queue complexes.
At Pamba, 300 toilets have been set up, including 70 for women. Along the traditional path and Swami Ayyappan Road, 58 bio-toilet units are functional. Multilingual direction boards and emergency contact details have also been installed. The Health Department has arranged 15 emergency medical centres across key points.
A total of 90,000 pilgrims will be permitted daily 70,000 through online virtual queue bookings and 20,000 through spot bookings. Cancelled online slots will be reassigned for spot bookings to ensure maximum access. Biscuits and medicated drinking water will be provided to devotees waiting in long queues.
Special queue arrangements have been set up for women and children near the Pathinettam Padi. A dedicated monitoring system is in place to prevent exploitation by dolly workers. At Malikappuram, improved arrangements have been made to provide free meals. A 24-hour physiotherapy centre will function at Sannidhanam to assist devotees with body pain, along with round the clock off road ambulance support at Pamba and Sannidhanam.
Police, revenue, health and fire force departments are coordinating operations under senior officials. The Fire Force will also run stretcher services for emergencies.
Mandala Pooja will be observed on December 27. Following the festival, the temple will close at 10 pm and reopen on December 30 at 5 pm. Makaravilakku will be celebrated on January 14, followed by rituals including Ezhunnelippu at Malikappuram from January 14 to 18 and Pathi Pooja from January 15. After the Kalabhabhishekam on January 18 morning, ghee abhishekam will not be performed. The Guruthi ritual will be held at Malikappuram on January 19 night.
The temple will close for the season on January 20 after darshan for the Palace representative. (ANI)