Traffic gridlock on Sabarimala route sparks protest as pilgrims are stranded for hours

A prolonged wait for buses at Pampa on Sunday triggered a major protest by Sabarimala pilgrims, who blocked the road over failure to arrange adequate transport to ferry them back after darshan. The protest came amid severe traffic congestion along the Nilackal-Pampa stretch, leaving thousands of devotees, including children and elderly women, stranded for hours.

The rush kept the police and Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials on their toes, with pilgrims caught in traffic snarls stretching from Nilackal to the Sannidhanam. Many were forced to remain in vehicles for hours before reaching Pampa, often without access to food or drinking water. Those who had completed darshan also faced long waits for buses to leave Pampa.

Officials attributed the chaos to ongoing road works along the Nilackal-Pampa stretch and an inadequate number of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses to handle the pilgrim rush. Several stretches of the road remain under repair, with congestion extending as far as Attathodu. An accident along the route further disrupted traffic, compounding the delays.

The shortage of buses severely hampered the return journey of pilgrims from Pampa, triggering tense exchanges between devotees and police personnel before the situation escalated into a road blockade.

Flags gap

Earlier in the day, Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan had flagged gaps in crowd management and coordination. He said he had asked the TDB to exercise extra caution until October 22, when the temple closes after the monthly rituals, and improve arrangements for the subsequent pilgrimage season.

The Minister also expressed dissatisfaction over the incomplete repair and renovation work at the Aravana manufacturing plant and the delay in finalising the contract for rice procurement. Though the TDB has begun the current season with a buffer stock of more than two lakh tins of Aravana, officials warned that production could run into trouble during the upcoming annual pilgrimage season if adequate stocks of raw rice were not procured in time.

Virtual queue bookings for the first three days of the ongoing monthly season crossed 1.5 lakh, with around 60,000 pilgrims booking slots for both Sunday and Monday. Spot bookings are also expected to add to the rush.

Anticipating a heavy influx of devotees, the police have doubled the strength of the force deployed at Sabarimala. A total of 800 personnel have been assigned crowd management duties, of whom 500 have already reached the Sannidhanam. As many as 90 personnel have been deployed exclusively to regulate the movement of pilgrims up the 18 holy steps.

Holidays

Officials said the rush was being driven by five consecutive holidays, including the weekend and Navaratri holidays. With the 41-day Mandalam pilgrimage season scheduled to begin next month, concerns are mounting over delays in completing essential infrastructure works, particularly road repairs.

“It is only a few weeks before the annual pilgrimage season begins, but several public infrastructure works, including road repairs, are already lagging behind. If the authorities fail to complete the roadworks and other preparations on time, the annual pilgrimage season could descend into chaos,” an official warned.

The temple will remain open till October 22 for the Thulam month rituals. It is scheduled to reopen on the evening of November 16 for the 41-day Mandalam pilgrimage season.