It has been decided that only devotees who have booked online will be allowed to enter the Sannidhanam in this year's Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season at Sabarimala. It is indicated that devotees who arrive without online booking will be sent back. The decision to rely solely on the online system was made during a review meeting chaired by the Chief Minister on Saturday. Despite having an online system, arrangements were made for pilgrims arriving without prior booking. However, imposing strict darshan regulations at a major pilgrimage site like Sabarimala, which attracts devotees from various parts of the country, is impractical.
There won't be any issues in allowing a restricted number of unbooked pilgrims to enter Sannidhanam, in addition to those with online bookings. Adjusting the queue system accordingly will be good enough. Major temples outside Kerala, such as Tirupati and the Golden Temple, employ efficient queue management systems to regulate crowds. Devotees often wait for hours in line to receive darshan. These prominent temples have exemplary crowd control measures in place. We should ponder why we can't achieve this. Is it due to reluctance or inability to adopt good models that we're forced to limit pilgrim numbers to address the issue?
A solution is urgently needed to address the unprecedented congestion and crowding experienced during the final days of the Mandala-Makaravilakku season at Sabarimala. Imagine the pathetic situation where devotees, including the elderly and children, have to stand in queues for 10 to 15 hours. Despite taking numerous precautions, a large section of devotees return disappointed every year. The state's temples like Sabarimala are said to be under the full control of the Devaswom Board. Despite claims of autonomy, the administration of the Devaswom Board is heavily regulated by the government and courts. The board is unable to make independent decisions even on the number of pilgrims to be allowed for darshan during the pilgrimage season.
No such interference is taking place in the matters of the places of worship of any other religion. The Devaswom Board is frequently reduced to being a mere yes-man. Those who are planning to control crowds during pilgrimage season by setting a daily limit of 80,000 devotees for darshan will soon realise the issues that the decision can create. Authorities are very much aware of the potential chaos when people coming from various parts are denied entry to the Sannidhanam for not booking online. They should consider allowing a fixed percentage of people who arrive through spot booking to enter the Sannidhanam.