Though the Sabarimala temple was scheduled to be reopened Saturday evening, the Kerala government has restricted pilgrimage till October 19, citing heavy rains. The Indian Meteorological Department has alerted of incessant rains in the state until the 19th. Educational institutions have also been instructed to postpone reopening to 19th though earlier instructed to reopen on 18th.
The Travancore Devaswom Board had earlier informed that the temple would reopen on Saturday at 5 PM for the poojas conducted in the Malayalam month of Thulam. Devotees were expected to be allowed from Sunday morning till the night of October 21. The board had also issued instructions for entry, including that devotees shall only be permitted entry through virtual queue booking and must have received either both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine or possess a negative RT-PCR report not older than 72 hours.