Kochi (Kerala) | The Kerala High Court on Wednesday strongly criticised the authorities after an unusually large crowd caused chaos in the Sabarimala temple area on Tuesday.

The court said the situation got out of control mainly because there was no proper coordination among the officials.

It also blamed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) for failing to make the required preparations, asking why earlier instructions had not been followed.

The judges noted that many of the necessary works should have been completed six months ago.

The court questioned why so many people were allowed into the temple area at the same time.

It suggested that dividing pilgrims into separate sectors might help manage the crowd better, instead of pushing everyone forward together, which it said was unsafe.

Sharing the concerns raised by the court, newly appointed TDB chairman K Jayakumar admitted that the preparations should indeed have been taken six months ago.

Nearly two lakh devotees reached the Sabarimala Ayyappa shrine within 48 hours of the temple opening on November 17, overwhelming the TDB and police as they struggled to manage the massive crowd, including many children on Tuesday.

Television visuals showed pilgrims packed tightly near the 18 steps and along the route from Pamba to Sannidhanam, with long delays, crying children, and some devotees even climbing over barricades.

There were also complaints that pilgrims standing in the queues for hours did not receive drinking water.