As many as 2,96,113 pilgrims have utilised the virtual queue facility offered by the police for darshan at the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala as on Tuesday morning, according to police sources.
The head count carried out by the Police Department shows that 7,71,288 devotees have paid worship at the temple.
As many as 3,823 pilgrims have reached the Sannidhanam through the Pulmedu route while the others took the Pampa-Marakkoottom route for the pilgrimage.
A total of 52,060 devotees offered prayers at the temple on Monday alone.
Police special officer at the Sannidhanam A. Sreenivas said there was a visible increase in the number of pilgrims opting for the virtual queue booking system.
The pilgrim season has been progressing in a calm and peaceful atmosphere and there is no law and order issue at all at Sabarimala.
A total of 1.100 police personnel, headed by 10 Deputy Superintendents of Police, have been deployed for special duty at the Sannidhanam alone.
Heavy rush
The holy hillock has been witnessing heavy rush since Monday morning.
The long queue of pilgrims waiting inside the iron barricades was found extended beyond Saramkuthi on the traditional trekking path on Tuesday forenoon.
Travancore Devaswom Board sources said 20 lakh tins of aravana have been sold through prasadom counters as on Tuesday morning.
The board has kept a buffer stock of 15 lakh tins of aravana at the counters.
The aravana plant at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam produces two lakh tins of aravana a day.
