Sabarimala: The number of devotees who have visited the Sabarimala temple so far during the ongoing season has crossed 30 lakh and it was a drop of over two lakh when compared to last year's turnout, according to official figures released on Friday.

Data available up to December 25 shows that 30,01,532 pilgrims have had darshan so far and during the last season (2024), the 30-lakh mark was reached by December 23, when 30,78,044 devotees had visited the shrine.

By December 25 last year, the total number of pilgrims who had visited stood at 32,49,756. In 2023, however, the number of pilgrims who had visited the temple up to the same date was about 28.42 lakh.

While this season witnessed a heavy rush from the very beginning, authorities imposed strict limits on virtual queue bookings and spot bookings to control crowd following directions from the High Court.

The highest single-day turnout was recorded on November 19, four days after the temple opened, when 1,02,299 devotees visited. The lowest footfall was on December 12, with 49,738 pilgrims.

Officials said Sundays, despite being holidays, were less crowded when compared to previous years. On December 21, a Sunday, a total of 61,576 devotees had darshan. On the other days, daily numbers stayed above 80,000.

In connection with the Mandala Pooja, the number of devotees to be allowed through the virtual queue has been reduced to 30,000 on Friday and 35,000 on Saturday (December 26 and 27) and spot booking have been limited to 2,000.

Movement of devotees from Pampa was also restricted from Friday morning due to the 'Thanga Anki' procession. By 9 am, 22,039 devotees had completed darshan, officials added. The Mandala Pooja will be held on Saturday and the deity will be adorned in golden attire for the occasion. The auspicious time for the ritual is between 10.10 am and 11.30 am.

The Sabarimala temple will close on Saturday night at 11 pm after the 'Harivarasanam' (Devotional song) and will reopen on December 30 for the Makaravilakku festival.