Sabarimala’s Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season began on Monday with hundreds of devotees thronging the temple. Rituals were performed, and long queues formed for darshan. Daily pilgrim numbers are capped at 90,000 through virtual and spot booking systems.
The temple was closed at 6.30 am after the darshan of Thrikkettanal Rajaraja Varma, a representative of the Pandalam Royal family. According to preliminary estimates by the TDB, approximately 53 lakh devotees visited Sabarimala during this season
The HC directing the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to take action against those found illegally charging Lord Ayappa devotees visiting Sabarimala temple for the 'pottukuthal' ritual
