To ease Sabarimala pilgrimage for devotees, police create portal

Pathanamthitta, Kerala: As tens of thousands of pilgrims flock each day at the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala during the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage, the police have established a portal to facilitate 'darshan' for devotees.

The portal -- 'Sabarimala - Police Guide' -- has been created by the District Police Cyber Cell on the instructions of District Police Chief V G Vinod Kumar, a release issued by the police said.

Kumar is quoted as having said that the guide will be very useful for the pilgrims and it has been prepared in such a way that the information can be updated in a timely manner.

The police guide, which is in English, can be viewed by scanning a QR code and contains all the important information required by pilgrims, including the dos and don'ts to be followed by them, the release said.

It also provides the police helpline numbers, the phone numbers of the police stations, health services, KSRTC, ambulance, fire brigade, food safety, and the Devaswom office, it said.

The site also provides a detailed description of the legend and history of Sabarimala, also known as Dakshina Kashi, various festivals, and 'Irumudikettu' (holy bundle). Besides that, it gives detailed information about vehicle parking grounds, routes to Sabarimala from each district (via air, rail and road), places that serve as stopovers, all police stations in the district, and the darshan route, it said.

Places, including Sopanam, Malikappuram, Azhi, and aravana counter, on the route to the shrine are also provided on Google Maps, the release said.

The police guide also provides the weather forecast, it added.

The 41-day-long pilgrimage season began on November 16, the first day of the auspicious Malayalam month of Vrichikam.