research
Improving the darshan queue experience at Mahakal Temple
A field research & service design study on crowd flow, waiting anxiety, and operational clarity.
1 star reviews from devotees on google
Temple footfall & operations data
News reports on crowd + security
Patterns kept pointing to:
Phone deposit → Queue confusion → Waiting stress
9 Interviews
Devotees + Security + Staff
Fly-on-the-wall observations
Phone deposit & queue behavior
Survey
Validate physical strain patterns
First-hand queue experience
To feel waiting & uncertainty myself
Inconsistent Communication Breaks Compliance
Devotees deposited phones only when explicitly instructed.
Waiting Becomes Physically & Emotionally Stressful
Tight barricades, lack of exits, and long standing times increased fatigue, anxiety, and visible frustration.
Security Checkpoints Create Bottlenecks
Mansarovar gate became a convergence point,
where checking, crowd merging, and rerouting overlapped.
Waiting Is Accepted, Uncertainty Is Not
Devotees were prepared to wait,
but stress increased when progress and duration were unclear.
Phone Deposit Isn’t Slow, Its Placement Is
Phone deposit was quick, but unclear timing and location caused confusion and delays.
In Absence of Guidance, Devotees Follow the Crowd
Without clear signage, devotees relied on crowd behavior.
Queue Movement Is Staff-Dependent
Queues progressed mainly when staff intervened.
Queue Confusion Is Structural, Not Volume-Driven
Even moderate crowds felt chaotic due to poor segmentation and lack of visible queue boundaries.
At one of India’s busiest temples, devotees don’t just wait, they experience confusion, physical strain, and uncertainty before darshan.
Queues weren’t slow because of crowd size alone. They were slow because of unclear decisions, unpredictable enforcement, and chokepoints in flow.
Result: Stress, unfairness perception, and heavy staff intervention.
Queues slow down not because people don’t cooperate, but because the system design makes errors likely.
From research + benchmarking
Pre-entry phone deposit clarity & decentralization
Queue flow & choke-point management
Predictability of waiting time
Information & decision-making before queue commitment
DFV Maps were created for the opportunities.
Based on prioritised opportunities identified through the DFV framework, the following recommendations were taken forward to improve clarity, fairness, and queue flow across the darshan journey.
Clear and Informed Darshan choices
Introducing clearly marked phone deposit checkpoints, before joining the Darshan queue, reducing violations during check and rerouting near the entries
Values supported:
Reducing enforcement friction
Informed darshan choices
Reconfiguring queue paths
Paths to be rethought using barriers and visual cues to prevent unauthorized queue switching and ensure fair movement across general and paid channels
Values supported:
Fair and predictable Darshan access
Smoother queue flow
Real wait time communication
Displaying approximate wait time to the devotees which will help them set realistic expectations for the Darshan and will make them mentally prepare and make informed decisions
Values supported:
Predictable waiting experience
Balanced queue usage
Dedicated exit routing and signage
Separated exit paths with signages to avoid cross flow with other incoming devotes and reducing congestion near queue merge points
Values supported:
Improved queue flow
Lower enforcement dependence
These recommendations were evaluated not just for feasibility, but for the value they create for both devotees and temple operations.
Clear and Informed Darshan choices
Early stage information allows devotee to choose correct darshan and phone deposit queue, reducing last minute rerouting and conflicts
Predictable and fair Darshan access
Clearer rule enforcement and guidance reduce queue jumping and unauthorized switching, enabling general queue devotees to get a more fair darshan without unnecessary delays.
Predictable Waiting Experience
Visibility into waiting time for Darshan helps devotees to set realistic expectations and choose appropriate queue, reducing anxiety, impatience and unnecessary queue switching.
Smoother queue flow
Improving guidance and flow design to reduce reliance on enforcement, enabling smoother queue functioning while minimizing confrontations between devotees and security staff
