Sabarimala: Virtual queue booking for 'Mandala pooja' begins today at 5pm

Sabarimala: For those Ayyappa devotees who are looking for darshan at the Sabarimala temple for ‘Mandala pooja’ on December 26 and 27, the virtual booking will begin today at 5pm, said Devaswom officials from Sabarimala.

The Travancore Devaswom Board confirmed that 30,000 pilgrims will be allotted darshan through virtual queue on December 26th while 35,000 devotees will be allotted darshan on December 27th.

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In addition to the virtual booking, spot booking will be made available for 5000 devotees during these two days.

Currently, Devaswom authorities are focusing heavily on managing the massive influx of pilgrims during the current Mandalam-Makaravilakku season. New restrictions have been implemented to prevent overcrowding and ensure a peaceful viewing of the deity.

Officials have added more police personnel, opened additional spot booking counters at Nilakkal, and improved amenities like drinking water and toilet maintenance along the trekking paths. Queue complexes capable of accommodating hundreds of pilgrims have been fully activated.

The Kerala High Court has directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to cut the daily spot booking limit to 5,000 pilgrims to ease congestion, down from a previous cap of 20,000.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government issued an advisory for pilgrims regarding the risk of a "brain-eating amoeba" (Naegleria fowleri) infection from contaminated water, emphasizing that it does not spread person-to-person but through water inhaled via the nose.