The artificial intelligence crowd management system is to be implemented in Sabarimala from this year
Devotees gather for darshan at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. | Photo credit: FILE Photo
An AI-powered queue management system will be implemented at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in the upcoming pilgrimage season scheduled to begin in mid-November, officials said here on Saturday (June 20). The system will be piloted this year before going into full operation in phases, Travancore Devaswom Board President K. Jayakumar said.
He was speaking to the media after a meeting with three AI companies from Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai on the scale of deploying the state-of-the-art technology to effectively manage the movement of thousands of devotees visiting the hill shrine.
Real time data
“AI technology can help crowd management through predictive analytics. It can provide real-time data on the capacity of individual zones and parking lots. The plan is to take steps to ease the movement of pilgrims before the crowds pile up. It now takes us hours to resolve certain situations,” said Mr. Jayakumar.
Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau Director Manoj Abraham, who also attended the meeting, said the AI system integrating high-definition cameras, infrared cameras, sensors and drones will not only perform predictive analytics but also provide real-time suggestions to police officers in charge of the footpath and the temple. “With effective use of the system, we can gradually reduce the size of police deployment,” he said.
Pathanamthitta District Superintendent of Police R. Anand said the artificial intelligence system with facial recognition technology will also be useful in tracing missing pilgrims, including children and the elderly.
Mr. Jayakumar said that after the next round of negotiations with the police, an expression of interest would be sought to implement the project. “The technological capacity and financial aspects of the proposals will be analyzed by an expert committee before awarding the contract. We hope to complete the procedures by August 10 to give the operators 90-100 days to implement the system,” the official said.
A new vision plan
He said technology-based crowd control was planned as part of the new vision plan approved by the Supreme Court. He said that a new sanitation protocol will also be implemented at the pilgrimage site. As part of this, hygiene measures will be part of contracts signed with restaurants and eateries operating in and around Sabarimala, he said.
He said a campaign on best practices for a better Sabarimala pilgrimage experience will be launched in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka as around 75% of the pilgrims visiting the temple are from neighboring states. “The news bulletin – Sabarimala Sandesh – will be launched first in English and later in regional languages. Campaigns will be conducted through social media, including YouTube,” he said.
Published – 20 Jun 2026 17:01 IST