Pathanamthitta (Kerala) | Elaborate security arrangements, including installation of 450 CCTV cameras, have been put in place at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple here for the ongoing Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season.

The comprehensive surveillance system is a joint effort by the police and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the shrine, an official statement said here on Monday.

Surveillance is managed through specially arranged control rooms handled by the police and the TDB. The system ensures round-the-clock, uninterrupted monitoring of every corner of Sabarimala. In the event of any emergency or crowd surge, it enables authorities to take immediate action, it said.

As part of the arrangements, about 90 cameras have been installed by the police covering major points from Chalakayam to Pandithavalam.

Focusing on the pilgrimage path and key resting areas, 345 cameras have been set up by the Board, it said.

These cameras have been placed to bring maximum areas—including Marakkoottam, Nadappanthal, Sopanam, the flyover, Malikappuram, and Pandithavalam—under surveillance.

This coordinated initiative between the police and the Devaswom Board, emphasising effective information sharing, aims to ensure a foolproof security network at the hill shrine and its premises, which is visited by lakhs of devotees as part of the annual pilgrimage.

Through this system, authorities will be able to control crowds, prevent unlawful activities, and carry out rescue operations promptly whenever required, the state added.