Sabarimala (Kerala), Jan 13 : Arrangements are in place for Makaravilakku and Makarajyothi darshan at the famed Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala on Friday, according to the Travancore Devaswom Board which manages the shrine.

Pilgrim footfall has seen a sharp surge from across the country.

The customary procession carrying Thiruvabharanom (sacred jewellery of the presiding deity) set off to Sabarimala from the Valiya Koyikkal Sree Dharma Sastha temple in Pandalam on Wednesday.

The auspicious Makaravilakku festival falls on January 14 and the shrine would be closed on January 20.

District Collector Divya S Iyer has directed the local bodies in Pathanamthitta district through which the procession passes to make the necessary arrangements.

The presiding deity will be adorned with the sacred jewellery prior to ‘Aaarathi’ ritual on Friday evening.

The Forest Department had been urged to restore the forest route through Pullumedu. Anticipating a further rise in pilgrim arrivals, TDB has opened more counters to distribute prasad.

The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation will operate more services to Pampa, the foothill of Sannidhanam, TDB president K Ananthagopan said.

The authorities have intensified checks against Covid-19 protocol violations in the pilgrimage zone. A special squad led by Duty Magistrate K Gopinath carried out inspections at strategic locations.

The pilgrims were permitted to ascend the hill shrine through forest routes from Erumeli and Vandiperiyar.

About 25 km of the path goes through thick forest and 18 km of the path from Azhuthakkadavu to Pampa passes through the Periyar Tiger Reserve, Additional District Magistrate of Sabarimala Arjum Pandian said.

The eco development committees have cleared eight stopover points. In view of Covid-19, emergency medical care centres have come up at four locations.

Shops and refreshment centres have opened along the routes, Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan said.

Fencing has been erected at different locations to prevent wildlife attacks. Elephant squads and forest officials were deployed to ensure safety of devotees.

The devotees are allowed to travel only in batches. No person will be permitted to hit the route after evening. A Covid negative certificate taken within 48 hours of the pilgrimage is mandatory.

After three days of break following the Mandalam season, the temple reopened on December 30 for the Makaravilakku festival.

The annual 41-day Mandalam pilgrim season, the first phase of the pilgrimage, which commenced on November 17, was concluded on December 26.

Taking into account the rush of pilgrims, the darshan time has been extended until 11 pm from 10 pm. The sanctum sanctorum will open at 4 am.

Like the previous year, devotees are being allowed through a virtual queue system as part of efforts to regulate the flow of pilgrims.

This season, around 16 lakh pilgrims have reached the shrine, out of which about 20,000 devotees ascended the shrine through the forest route, the Collector said.

During the current season till January 10, the income earned stood at Rs 118 crore. In the final leg of the Mandalam season till December 25 last year, the income soared to Rs 80 crore, officials said.

The overall income during the last pilgrimage season was Rs 21 crore though the total footfall was less than one lakh.(UNI)