The sacred Sabarimala temple is set to reopen its doors for the auspicious Makaravilakku festival on Tuesday evening. The shrine will be opened at 5 pm by melsanthi E D Prasad in the presence of tantri Mahesh Mohanar. This follows the closure of the temple after the Mandala Puja, which concluded at 10 pm on Saturday.
Comprehensive Health Infrastructure for Pilgrims
In preparation for the massive influx of devotees, the health department has orchestrated an extensive medical safety net. A reserve list of doctors is on standby, and the availability of medicines has been guaranteed across all hospitals and medical centres in Sabarimala.
A fleet of ambulances and dedicated medical teams will be strategically positioned at key Makaravilakku viewpoints. These include:
- Pamba Hilltop
- Triveni Bridge
- Pamba KSRTC stand
- U-Turn and Chalakkayam
- Elavumkal, Nellimala, and Panjipara
- Angamoozhi and Valiyanavattom
According to Sabarimala health nodal officer Shyam, mobile medical teams and ambulance services will also support the sacred Thiruvabharanam journey from Pandalam to Pamba and back. Additional emergency medical facilities will be operational at hospitals in Kulathupuzha, Cherukol, Kanjirappally, Vadasserikkara, and Ranni-Perunad.
Special Deployments and Control Room
Special medical teams, including doctors, will be deployed at the health inspector's quarters in Sannidhanam and near the bailey bridge. Doctors have also been appointed at the emergency treatment centre in Pandithavalam.
To bolster existing services, 27 additional ambulances will join the 12 already provided by the health department for Makaravilakku. A special control room will function at the Pathanamthitta district medical office and can be contacted on 0468 2222642 and 0468 2228220.
Ensuring Food Safety and Learning from Mandala Season
The district food safety department has committed to stringent inspections during the festival. This comes after rigorous checks during the Mandala season, where 1,728 inspections were conducted across Nilackal, Pamba, and Sannidhanam.
Authorities issued notices to 94 hotels and food centres with deficiencies, while 35 establishments with serious violations faced notices and fines, resulting in a total collection of Rs 2,00,500. About 803 food samples were sent for testing. District assistant food safety commissioner Sujith Perera assured that similar vigilance will be maintained for Makaravilakku.
The scale of the pilgrimage is immense. During the concluded Mandala festival, a staggering 1,49,806 Ayyappa devotees received treatment at government hospitals in Pamba, Neelimala, Appachimedu, Sannidhanam, Charalmedu, and Nilackal. The Sannidhanam Govt Hospital alone treated 57,412 people, as per medical officer in charge Dr Arun Vinayakan.
Overall, this Mandala season witnessed approximately 36,33,191 devotees visiting Sannidhanam. The pilgrimage management saw 30,91,183 online bookings, 4,12,075 spot bookings, and 1,29,933 arrivals via Pullumedu.
With the sacred fire lit at Sannidhanam, devotees will once again climb the revered pathinettam padi for darshan, supported by a robust framework aimed at ensuring their health, safety, and spiritual fulfilment.
