Nearly 65,000 Ayyappa Devotees Visit Sabarimala on First Day of Thulam Masa Pooja
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| photo by jay nair |
Sabarimala: A massive rush of Ayyappa devotees was witnessed at Sabarimala on Sunday (October 18, 2026), during the Thulam month pooja, with nearly 65,000 pilgrims offering darshan by evening. The heavy influx of devotees resulted in long queues, traffic congestion and delays in transportation along the Nilakkal–Pampa route.
The queue for climbing the sacred Pathinettam Padi (18 holy steps) extended beyond Marakkoottam, forcing devotees to wait for several hours to climb the steps and offer darshan. With the Thulam month pooja coinciding with the Navratri holidays, the hill shrine witnessed crowds similar to those experienced during the annual Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season.
More than 65,000 devotees had reached Sannidhanam for darshan by evening, while the flow of pilgrims continued after sunset. To manage the crowd, authorities regulated the movement of devotees from Pampa, allowing them to proceed towards Sannidhanam in phases.
Virtual Queue bookings for Monday (October 19) have also crossed 50,000, indicating that the heavy rush is likely to continue. Spot booking facilities are also available for pilgrims.
A large number of families gathered at the temple premises for the traditional Choroonu (first rice-feeding ceremony) of children. Special rituals, including Kalabhabhishekam, Pushpabhishekam and Padi Pooja, were performed at the temple. Thantri Kandararu Brahmadathan led the Kalabhabhishekam rituals, while a large number of devotees also gathered to witness the Padi Pooja.
Meanwhile, severe traffic congestion between Elavunkal and Nilakkal, along with ongoing road construction on the Chalakayam–Pampa stretch, caused considerable difficulties for pilgrims. Vehicle inspections and delays in entry to the Nilakkal parking grounds resulted in long queues of vehicles extending from Nilakkal towards Elavunkal.
To address the transportation shortage, KSRTC deployed an additional 40 buses from nearby depots to Pampa, increasing the total number of buses operating on the Pampa–Nilakkal chain service to 104. However, the additional services were insufficient to handle the heavy pilgrim rush and traffic congestion, leaving many devotees facing prolonged delays.