Thrissur | Devotees visiting the famed Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple can now avail a virtual queue facility for darshan, with the Guruvayur Devaswom launching the system on a trial basis from Tuesday to ease crowding and reduce long waiting hours.

The trial virtual queue facility will be available on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with eight slots a day accommodating 300 devotees each, enabling 2,400 people to have darshan daily through the online booking system, Guruvayur Devaswom Chairman A V Gopinath told reporters here.

Gopinath said the initiative is expected to significantly reduce the hardships faced by devotees, who often have to wait in long queues for hours to enter the temple. If the trial proves successful, the Devaswom plans to extend the facility to all days, he said.

The system is expected to be particularly beneficial during the upcoming Onam season and other peak pilgrimage periods, the chairman added.

Temple authorities said devotees who booked darshan online need to reach the temple at the time allotted for their darshan, making the process more convenient and hassle-free.

The virtual queue will operate for eight hours every day, they said.

Earlier, in a Facebook post, the Guruvayur Devaswom said the bookings for the virtual queue facility in August have already been completed, and online booking for September will commence shortly.

Devotees can book their slots through the Guruvayur Devaswom website, www.guruvayurdevaswom.in.

Meanwhile, several devotees expressed relief over the introduction of the virtual queue, saying they were able to have a hassle-free darshan without having to stand in serpentine queues for hours at the famous shrine.