No spot booking at Pampa; Sabarimala virtual queue booking to begin on the 29th

PATHANAMTHITTA: Spot booking facilities will not be available at Pampa during the Sabarimala Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season. However, spot booking will continue at Nilakkal, Erumeli and Vandiperiyar Sathram. Pilgrims who are unable to secure online bookings will have to visit these centres. The decision to discontinue spot booking at Pampa was taken in accordance with a High Court directive aimed at avoiding congestion in the area.

Virtual queue booking for the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season will begin at 10 am on the 29th. A maximum of 60,000 pilgrims can book virtual queue tickets daily for the Nilakkal-Pampa route, while online booking will be available for 3,000 pilgrims per day via the Erumeli forest route and another 3,000 via the Vandiperiyar Sathram route. In addition to online bookings, real-time spot booking facilities will be available at Nilakkal, Erumeli and Vandiperiyar. The Nilakkal centre will provide entry to 10,000 pilgrims daily through real-time booking, while the centres at Erumeli and Vandiperiyar Sathram will each accommodate 2,000 pilgrims per day.

Virtual queue booking is free of charge. Pilgrims can also make voluntary contributions of Rs 5 or more to the Pilgrim Relief Fund and contribute to the General Fund for sanitation and cleanliness; these contributions are not mandatory. Darshan slots must be booked through the website www.sabarimalaonline.org.