There will be no ‘spot’ booking in Sabarimala, all devotees will be able to have darshan: Minister Vasavan

Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan clarified that there will be no ‘spot’ booking at Sabarimala but assured that no devotee visiting Lord Ayyappa temple during the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage will be deprived of darshan. The assurance comes a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) threatened to stage an agitation over the decision to allow darshan only through the ‘virtual’ queue booking system at the Sabarimala temple during the upcoming annual pilgrimage.

Under the ‘virtual’ queue system, pilgrims can book their darshan tickets and prasad online through the official website of Sabarimala temple. In ‘spot’ booking pilgrims can book their darshan at centers identified by the Devaswom Board. The opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is also requesting the government to maintain the ‘virtual’ queue system as well as ‘spot’ booking. Vasavan said the chairman of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the apex body that manages the Sabarimala temple, had recently assured that all pilgrims visiting the temple will be able to have darshan of Lord Ayyappa.

He also said that ‘spot’ booking will not be allowed at Sabarimala but Akshaya Kendras will be set up in the waiting rooms on the temple route for pilgrims to book darshan time. “Therefore, after following all the rituals, no pilgrim coming for the pilgrimage will be denied the opportunity of darshan,” the minister said. He said the government and the TDB have ensured smooth and safe pilgrimage for all the devotees. To ensure this, the number of pilgrims visiting every day has been fixed at 80,000.

Disclaimer: Prabhasakshi has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.