Sabarimala Mandala Pooja: Additional Police Deployed On December 27 To Ensure Smooth Pilgrimage

In view of the heavy influx expected during the Mandala pooja, the Kerala police have opted to bolster their forces to oversee the crowds at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple on December 27.

In the upcoming days, an additional contingent of 500 policemen is slated to join the hill shrine, augmenting the total deployment to around 2,700 police personnel strategically positioned for the Mandala pooja.

Presently, approximately 2,150 individuals, including police, RRF, Bomb Squad, CRPF, and NDRF members, are actively engaged in and around Sannidhanam. Supplementary teams are stationed in Pampa and Nilakkal. A fresh group of officers has taken over from the 750 personnel whose duty period concluded on Tuesday at Sabarimala.

Welcoming the new batch at the Sannidhanam auditorium, DIG Rahul R Nair emphasized the importance of treating devotees with utmost care and adhering strictly to duty schedules. Highlighting that 40 percent of Sabarimala pilgrims comprise women and children, he stressed the heightened responsibility of the police in crowd management.

Recently, the Kerala police and Travancore Devaswom Board introduced a dedicated queue for children's darshan at Sabarimala. Dynamic queue systems have been implemented to efficiently handle the crowd flow. Current police estimates indicate approximately 4,000 devotees ascending the 18 holy steps per hour.

Following the Mandala pooja, the Sabarimala temple will observe a brief closure and reopen on December 30 for the Makaravilakku season, culminating in the Makaravilakku festival on January 15, 2024.