IoT is Enhancing the Spiritual Experience for Pilgrims to Kerala

SABARIMALA:
The Internet of things, which is all about connecting physical objects to the world of web is making a revolution on its own. In recent times, IoT has had the power to make a perceptible difference to our lives, at both- personal and professional levels.
Sabarimala is possibly the foremost spiritual destination in the world and over recent years, there are multiple instances on how technology is helping to control, simplify and manage the logistical arrangements. The entire annual Sabarimala season beginning with Mandalam, right up to the Grand Makara Vilakku  spectacle witnesses the influx of lakhs of pilgrims to Kerala from various parts of the globe.
Little wonder that each year, there are several reported cases on missing child pilgrims. Often, language and other factors mean these lost children are not able to communicate coherently with the officials. As a Corporate that believes in leveraging its technological expertise to make a difference to lives across geographies it operates in, Vodafone India, a global leader in IoT solutions, has tied up with the Kerala State Police Dept. to introduce Radio Frequency IDs to track child pilgrims.
This initiative is a significant step forward in utilizing technology to enhance the spiritual experience of pilgrims thronging the hill shrine to worship the presiding deity, Lord Ayyappan. Technologies used for the benefits of Sabarimala pilgrims; Advent of technology and its boom have changed the human life style drastically. Perhaps there is no sphere of human life that is not influenced by the technology and it has really influenced and even helping our spiritual practices to have an ardent God experience.
Vodafone RFID Tag – Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology at Sabarimala is in an effort to ensure the safety of child pilgrims. All children below 14 years of age will be provided with an RFID tag on their neck at Pamba, before they move towards the Sannidhanam.
To track missing children: Due to heavy rush at Sabarimala, there are possibilities of child pilgrims getting lost in the crowd. It has always been a big headache to the missing children and take them back to their guardian. Thanks for the technology, this year Vodafone and Kerala Police has joined together to tackle the issue. Voadfone RFID tag will be hung on the neck of children below 14 years of age with the contact details of the guardian embedded in it.
Families travelling to Sabarimala with children under 14 years of age will have to visit the Kerala State Police office at Pamba and register to avail this service. Post registration, each child will be provided with a Vodafone RFID tag containing each child’s name, guardian’s names, contact number and relevant details. When a child pilgrim with an RFID tag is found wandering in the crowd, police officials finding him would take him to the control room and when Vodafone RFID reader reads the RFID tag, the whereabouts of the child will get passed on to the mobile number registered in the card.
The lost child would be in a traumatic situation, not necessarily knowing the language to communicate to the police officials about himself and his parents. Thus, Vodafone RFID tag hugely simplifying monitoring of child pilgrims and facilitating quick reunion with his/her dear ones, in case of getting lost in the crowd.
Safe Sabarimala – Application by Kerala Police: Kerala Police has come up with a unique idea of implementing a mobile application and portal to support the devotees who go for pilgrimage to Sabarimala. During the festival season covering the ‘Mandala Pooja’ and ‘Makara Vilakku’, Kerala police plays a vital role in providing arrangements and maintaining law and order.
The mobile application will act as a bridge between devotees and Kerala Police by providing support and assistance during the Sabarimala Darshan. The key services and facilities offered by the mobile application includes, providing information regarding the queue position, parking position, parking instructions, weather updates from Pamba and Sannidhanam, Temple timings, opening and closure timings, Live news updates.
The mobile application will provide services such as missing person alerts, lost and found service, complaint submission, navigation assistance and assistance for medical support.