The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) has announced special bus services from Telangana to Sabarimala for the 2026-27 pilgrimage season, with operations scheduled around the Mandala Pooja and Makara Vilakku festivals.
According to the schedule reported by Telangana Today, services for the Mandala Pooja season will run from November 16 to December 27, 2026. The second set of services, linked to the Makara Vilakku season, will operate from December 30, 2026, to January 20, 2027.
The arrangements are aimed at facilitating group travel by devotees to the hill shrine. TGSRTC has announced concessions for Guruswamis, cooks, young pilgrims and luggage attendants travelling as part of organised groups.
Guruswamis will be allowed to travel free of charge when they book a bus for devotees. Those who book multiple buses will be entitled to free travel in one bus. For the remaining buses, commission will be paid at the rate applicable to Assistant Traffic Managers and TGSRTC employees, amounting to Rs 350 per bus per day.
The corporation will also provide free travel to two cooks, two Manikantas below 10 years of age and one luggage attendant. The free-travel provision for these accompanying members will not include separate seating arrangements, according to the reported arrangements.
A further concession will apply to the movement of TGSRTC contract carriage buses through Kerala. The Kerala government has exempted these buses operating to Sabarimala from border tax, reducing one of the charges associated with inter-state pilgrimage transport.
Devotees and group organisers can book the special buses through the TGSRTC website, www.tgsrtcbus.in. The corporation has provided 040-69440000 and 040-23450033 for information and bookings.
The services place the state road transport corporation in a coordinating role for seasonal inter-state travel, combining scheduled operations with group-booking concessions. The published service windows cover the two principal festival periods of the 2026-27 Sabarimala pilgrimage season, with bookings available through TGSRTC’s online platform and helpline numbers.
