Devotee inflow via forest routes to Sabarimala sees sharp rise this season

The ongoing Sabarimala pilgrimage season has witnessed a marked increase in the number of devotees trekking to the Lord Ayyappa shrine through traditional forest routes, indicating a renewed preference for the age-old paths of worship.

According to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), over 1.02 lakh pilgrims have so far reached the Sabarimala sannidhanam via forest routes during the current season. Of these, 37,059 devotees used the Azhuthakadavu-Pamba route , which has been recording a daily inflow of 1,500 to 2,500 pilgrims . A significantly larger number, 64,776 devotees , opted for the Sathram forest route , where daily footfall ranges between 4,000 and 5,000 , the Board said.

Officials expect the number of pilgrims choosing forest paths to increase further in the coming days as the pilgrimage season intensifies.

Meanwhile, the overall pilgrim turnout to Sabarimala has crossed the 24-lakh mark this season. Up to December 13, 23,47,554 devotees had reached the shrine through the conventional Pamba-Sabarimala route alone. When forest-route arrivals are added, the total footfall comfortably surpasses 24 lakh.

At present, an average of around 80,000 pilgrims are visiting Sabarimala daily. The highest turnout so far this season was recorded on December 8 , when 1,01,844 devotees offered darshan. A similar surge was seen earlier on November 24 , when pilgrim numbers crossed one lakh.

The steady rise reflects both strong devotional participation and the revival of traditional pilgrimage practices.