Sabarimala 2026: 80,000 a day cap; don't dump clothes in Pamba, minister says

Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala asked Sabarimala pilgrims not to throw clothes and slippers into the Pamba river, saying on Sunday, 8 November 2026, after a review meeting at Sabarimala, that there is no religious or customary practice that requires it. He said about 90 per cent of the preparatory work for the pilgrimage season was complete and the rest would be finished soon. The 41-day Mandalam season of the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage begins on 17 November, and the Travancore Devaswom Board has capped entry at 80,000 pilgrims a day, booked mainly through its free online virtual queue.

Sabarimala, the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa, draws pilgrims in very large numbers during the Mandala-Makaravilakku season, which is why the state holds review meetings weeks ahead. Pilgrims bathe in the Pamba before the climb, and the minister's appeal shows that clothes and slippers left behind in the river are a problem the authorities want to stop. Anything left in the water has to be removed, and adds to pollution in the river. The minister's statement directly addresses the belief behind the practice: he said it has no religious or customary basis. Separating a real ritual from a habit that has grown around it is how temple authorities and the state usually try to change pilgrim behaviour without offending faith.

The daily cap is the other change pilgrims need to know about. Sabarimala's narrow forest path and the small area around the Sannidhanam, the temple's main courtyard, can hold only so many people at a time, and crowding on the trek is a safety risk. A fixed daily number, booked in advance by route, lets the police and the board plan buses, parking at Nilakkal and the flow up the hill. Because spot booking will be very limited, pilgrims without a virtual-queue slot may not get darshan on the day they arrive.

Several guides warn that look-alike websites charge for a booking that is free on the official portal. Pilgrims should book only on sabarimalaonline.org.

Peepals calculation: the three online route quotas add up to 66,000 pilgrims a day (60,000 + 3,000 + 3,000), or 82.5 per cent of the 80,000 daily cap (66,000 ÷ 80,000 = 0.825). The reports do not break down the remaining 14,000. Over the 41 days of the Mandalam season, the cap allows at most 32.8 lakh pilgrim entries (80,000 × 41 = 32,80,000). Our calculation from the reported figures.

Short-term: Pilgrims planning to travel from 17 November need a virtual-queue slot on the official portal for their chosen route and date, and are asked to leave nothing in the Pamba river.

Long-term: If pilgrims follow the appeal, the clean-up burden on the Pamba during and after each season could fall, and a booked, capped system could make the trek safer year after year.

Who is affected: Ayyappa devotees from Keralam and other states, the Travancore Devaswom Board, police and transport services, and communities along the Pamba.

What to watch next: the start of the Mandalam season on 17 November 2026 and the completion of the remaining preparatory work the minister mentioned.

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