One Photo, Circulated Again and Again, to Sell the Story of Sabarimala Suffering

The Sabarimala temple, one of the most sought-after pilgrimage destinations in South India, often finds itself at the centre of controversies. The latest concerns the unprecedented rush and allegations of administrative mismanagement. While sections of the media have highlighted the heavy crowds, several videos also show devotees praising the administration and the police for managing the situation effectively.
On November 20, 2025, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) capped the spot booking in Sabarimala at 5,000 per day. Amidst this, social media users shared a photo that purportedly shows the poor condition of pilgrims at Sabarimala. However, the image dates back to 2018 and is unrelated to the present situation at Sabarimala.

​What is fake about it?

A X(formerly Twitter) user shared a photo on November 19, 2025, with a Malayalam caption that translates to, “Please don’t take small children to the Sabarimala. I’m saying this because it’s heartbreaking to see a Malikapuram lying under a dustbin.” Malikappuram is a term used for young female devotees under the age of ten who travel to Sabarimala, and it also denotes a shrine dedicated to a Hindu goddess located near the temple

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The post suggests that the photo is recent and garnered over 9,618 views, 383 likes, and 111 reposts. A user also called out the post, stating that the photo is at least seven years old.
The admin of a Facebook group “Arakkonam Ayyappa Devotees Trust Registration No. 112/2023,” Kishore Kumar, also shared this image on the same day with a similar caption in Tamil.

Additionally, believing the image is current, a Facebook user from Kerala also made a reel in which she condemned the plight of pilgrims at Sabarimala, saying a Malikappuram should never be made to suffer this way. Though she belongs to a different religious community, she said she had made the reel in the name of humanity, and that she was deeply pained to see devotees suffering.
She also questioned the Devasom Board under the State government for failing to provide adequate facilities and urged people to reflect on its purpose, given that the system has clearly failed.

Here are the ​Facts:

We found that the viral photo has nothing to do with this year’s rush in Sabarimala. We also found that this is not the first time the same photo has gone viral. We performed a reverse image search and found that the photo went viral in 2018, questioning the state government on the alleged mismanagement at Sabarimala.
An X user shared the photo on November 17, 2018, under the hashtag #Protect_Sabarimala with the caption, “This is the way CPM police ensure “gender equality” in sabarimala, See the plight of a Malikappuram (female devotee) who rests her head on a garbage bin as she was denied shelter in the temple premises. #Protect_Sabarimala.”

Another user on X also shared the photo on the same day.
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A Facebook page under the name Vishwa Samvad Kendra Bharat shared the same photo on November 18, 2018.

Even though we couldn’t verify the exact context behind the photo, the analysis of the viral photo revealed that the photo dates back to 2018, and claims that it is recent are therefore false.