Massive Crowd at Sabarimala: TDB Deploys Extra Staff After Complaints of Water Shortage
Pathanamthitta: Lakhs of devotees gathered at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple on the second day of the annual Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, leading to complaints of water shortage for pilgrims standing in queues for several hours on Tuesday (November 18, 2025).
Responding to the situation, newly appointed Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president K. Jayakumar said that 200 additional personnel have been deployed to distribute water to devotees waiting in long queues.
Jayakumar, who visited the temple grounds, expressed concern over the unusually heavy rush.
“I have never seen such a massive and dangerous crowd here. Some people appear to have cut the lines to move ahead. Even I am scared seeing this,” he said.
He directed officials to ensure steady movement of pilgrims climbing the 18 steps for darshan and to strictly prevent line cutting, which had contributed to the congestion.
Flow of Devotees to Be Controlled at Nilakkal
To reduce crowding at Pamba and speed up the pilgrimage process, Jayakumar instructed officials to restrict the flow of devotees from Nilakkal, where better waiting facilities are available.
He announced plans to open seven additional spot-booking counters at Nilakkal so that pilgrims do not have to travel to Pamba for bookings.
“We will also explore the option of capping the total number of spot bookings per day,” he added.
Pilgrims Avoiding Queue Complexes
Jayakumar noted that many pilgrims were not entering the queue complexes at Sannidhanam out of fear of losing their position in the line.
“If they use the queue complexes, it will be easier for us to provide them water and biscuits,” he said.
Additional Cleaning Staff From Tamil Nadu
The TDB president also announced that 200 extra cleaning personnel from Tamil Nadu will be brought in to maintain toilets and sanitation facilities at Sabarimala during the peak crowd.
Nearly 2 Lakh Pilgrims Arrive by Tuesday Noon
According to the Travancore Devaswom Board, 1,96,594 devotees reached Sabarimala by 12 noon on Tuesday, two days after the temple opened on November 16 for the Makaravilakku season.