Thiruvananthapuram: The sacred Sabari hills, abode of Lord Ayyappa, will be reverberating with chanting of 'Sarana Manthram' for the next two months with the 'mandala and makaravilakku' pilgrimage season getting underway on November 16.

The Kerala government and temple authorities are making last-ditch efforts to put the best possible facilities in place for devotees at the foothills of Pampa and at top of the 'Sannidhanam'.

However, the ever-increasing influx of pilgrims posed a challenge to ensuring basic amenities to devotees without harming the fragile environs and compromising the traditional purity and spiritual grace of the hill-shrine.

Though use of pollutants like plastic has been banned, it will be an uphill task for the authorities and voluntary agencies to keep clean the Pampa river and the steep four-km-long trekking trail that takes pilgrims to the shrine, located on the slopes of the Western ghats.

While detailing the arrangements, state Devaswom Minister G Karthikeyan appealed to the pilgrims to voluntarily co-operate with the measures meant to "avoid stress" to the area, forming part of the Periyar Tiger Reserves.

In a statement, he said government had arranged all facilities to ensure a hassle- free pilgrimage to devotees visiting the shrine from different parts of the country this year.

Security arrangements have also been stepped up at Sabarimala and photo identity cards made compulsory to all the workers in the area, including those engaged in food stalls and shops.

A large contingent of state police personnel have also been deployed for security, crowd management and traffic regulation.

Lack of proper sanitation system being the biggest problem faced by Sabarimala in the past, two sewage treatment plants have been installed in the area and 450 workers engaged for sanitation work this year.

Free parking facility has been arranged at a 50-acre-area in Nilakkal, about 10 km from Pampa. Kerala state road transport corporation (KSRTC) would run chain service to take the returning pilgrims back to their vehicles.

Medical facility in the area have been stepped up with clinics in Pampa and Sannidhanam being equipped with more medicine and medical personnel and setting up of more oxygen parlours along the trekking trail.

This time round, the temple authorities have made arrangement for free meal to 2000 pilgrims every day.

The Traancore Devaswom Board had made arrangements for sale of 'Neyyabhishekam' tickets in major temples on the way, to spare the devotees of the arduous wait in queue at the 'sannidhanam'.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) had introduced its newly launched mobile phone service in Sabarimala and the railways have set up a computer reservation counter.

PTI