Sabarimala: The unprecedented footfalls at Sabarimala have driven the revenue from Lord Ayyappa temple to a record high as the annual pilgrimage season nears an end.

As per estimates released by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TBD), the income from the pilgrimage during this season stood at Rs 357.47 crore as against Rs 347.12 crore recorded last time, indicating a rise of Rs 10.35 crore in the overall income. Of the total income received, the sale of Aravana alone accounted for Rs 146.99 crore while Appam brought in Rs 17.77 crore.

The Board, meanwhile, is left with a daunting task of sorting coins received as kanikka. The donation is expected to take the overall income beyond Rs 365 crore.

“The number of devotees rose by around 5 lakh this time. The total devotees who ascended the hill stood at 50 lakh (50,06,412) as on January 19 compared to 44 lakh (44,16,219) in the corresponding period last season,” said P S Prashanth, President, TDB.

He attributed the successful conclusion of the season to a coordinated effort by various government departments under the leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan. “Though some malicious forces tried their best to spread false propaganda for political purposes, we could overcome it and facilitate a smooth pilgrimage for devotees,” he said.

“Compared to previous years, we could ensure more hygiene in the pilgrimage zone by installing as many as 1,100 container toilets at Nilackal and 500 in Pampa. An additional batch of about 1,200 toilets were also installed on the trekking path from Pampa to Sannidhanam,” Prashanth added.

Chaos throughout season
These claims, however, fly in the face of the impenetrable crowd on the hillock as well as the serpentine queue of vehicles that the region had witnessed during the season, especially in the run-up to the Mandala puja on December 27.

Unable to manage the crowd, the TDB had to bring in abrupt cuts in the daily quota of virtual queue bookings, besides extending the darshan timing by one hour. Despite these measures, devotees, including young children and aged women, were made to stand in queue for up to 18 hours to perform the darshan. Meanwhile, those caught in traffic gridlocks had to spend several hours in their vehicles without access to food and drinking water. The stranded pilgrims who slept in the vehicles or walked around often picked up arguments with police.

Irked by the inordinate delay, some even turned back after offering darshan at Valiya Koyikkal Sree Dharma Sastha Temple at Pandalam. Compounding the woes of pilgrims, authorities regulated the operation of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses between Nilackal and Pampa in a bid to bring down the crowd at Pampa. With the frequency of the chain bus service coming down to just two every ten minutes, devotees who converged at Nilackal after spending several hours in their vehicles were seen jostling for space inside these buses.

The plight of the Sabarimala pilgrims, meanwhile, also assumed political dimensions, with the Congress and BJP accusing the State government of failing to ensure basic facilities for the pilgrims. Making matters worse for the authorities, a young girl from Tamil Nadu collapsed and died while waiting in line near Appachimedu. Besides the trunk roads leading to Pampa, the forest routes to Sabarimala too have witnessed a sharp surge in the flow of pilgrims this season. As per estimates by the forest department, about 3.91 lakh devotees used the forest route from Erumely to reach Sabarimala this season.

Breather to KSRTC
Meanwhile, the heavy influx of devotees has given the cash-strapped KSRTC a much-needed succour. The state-owned carrier has clocked Rs 38.88 crore this season by operating 1,37,000 chain services between Nilackal and Pampa, and 34,000 long-haul services. The KSRTC special services from Pampa will draw to a close by 4 am on Sunday.

Pilgrimage season to conclude
The Malikappuram temple here is slated to witness the performance of the Guruti ritual this evening. The temples will close on Sunday morning following a visit by the representative of the Pandalam Palace.