Overview
- Newly installed chief priest E. D. Prasad led the day-one rituals, with M. G. Manu taking charge at Malikappuram and K. Jayakumar in place as Travancore Devaswom Board president.
- All 70,000 virtual queue slots for the first day were booked, with an additional daily quota of 20,000 available through spot booking counters at key access points.
- Kerala State Road Transport Corporation deployed 450 buses, running Nilakkal–Pampa chain services as frequently as three buses per minute, with further scaling planned based on inflow.
- Mobile phones are barred on the Pathinettam Padi and photography inside the premises is prohibited, with one report citing 18,741 police personnel deployed along the route.
- Key dates are set with Mandala puja on December 27 and Makaravilakku on January 14 before closure on January 20, while the Sathram–Pullumedu forest route operates 7 a.m.–1 p.m. and early dolly service checks caused delays for some pilgrims.