Pilgrims planning to visit Sabarimala through the Virtual Queue system are strongly advised to arrive for darshan on the exact date mentioned in their booking. According to Sannidhanam Special Police Officer Shri R. Sreekumar, arriving on a different day with a pre-booked token creates significant difficulties in crowd management, especially during peak days.
Pilgrims arriving on days other than their booked date disrupt the regulated flow of devotees.On high-rush days, managing more than 1,000 additional visitors becomes challenging for the police and temple authorities.
Spot bookings continue to rise. 8,800 spot bookings were made till 3 PM on December 2 alone, adding to the congestion.
At present, 1,590 police personnel are deployed at Sannidhanam, working in four shifts, including special deployment on both sides of the sacred 18 Holy Steps.
Although an average of 80 pilgrims can climb the 18 steps in one minute, this flow is naturally slowed down due to the need to assist elderly devotees,
differently abled pilgrims,those with mobility challenges, heavier-bodied individuals, devotees with hearing or other physical impairments.The temple police give priority and special support to such devotees, affecting the movement speed for the general queue.