Chaos broke out at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple due to a massive rush of pilgrims ahead of the Makara Vilakku festival, prompting strong police action and protests by devotees.
Wednesday marks the most sacred and significant Makara Vilakku festival, during which the celestial flame is witnessed. Thousands of devotees have been arriving at Sabarimala to attend the event, leading to heavy congestion on the hill shrine. With a surge in crowd density, police stopped vehicles heading towards Pampa at the town itself, triggering anger among pilgrims.
As the crowd swelled, police used ropes to restrict the movement of pedestrians at several locations. Citing severe congestion at Pampa and Nilakkal, authorities halted vehicles in the town, a move that led to widespread protests. Many pilgrims, including those from neighbouring states, expressed their anger by sitting on the road and blocking traffic while chanting “Saranam”.
The protest followed a controversial step taken a day earlier, when police used ropes to physically stop pilgrims on forest routes and city roads. Local observers said that for the first time in the temple’s history, pedestrians were restrained with ropes at the busy Petta Junction, bringing the town to a standstill.
In view of the Makara Vilakku celebrations on Wednesday, the Travancore Devaswom Board and local police have announced strict measures to manage the expected heavy footfall. Vehicles will be allowed on the Pampa Nilakkal road only until 10 am on Wednesday, after which all traffic will be halted at Nilakkal. Officials also confirmed that no pilgrim will be permitted to undertake the trek from Pampa to Sannidhanam after 11 am on Wednesday.
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