KOCHI: On Tuesday, hundreds of devotees from various parts of the state visited the Mahadeva temple at Aluva on the occasion of Sivarathri. The officials expect a rush on the temple premises till Sunday noon for balitharpan.
A special queue has been arranged for devotees for darshan. Nearly 1,000 police personnel, under the supervision of six DSPs and 17 inspectors, have been deployed to ensure the smooth conduct of the Sivarathri celebration at Aluva. Street vendors are not permitted within a 50-m radius of the temple.
There are no curbs on the number of devotees who can perform rituals in the river this year. The police have arranged a strong security system for Sivarathri. The devaswom board has arranged 148 enclosures for balitharpanam. The balitharpanam rituals start with the procession of Sivarathri Vilakku at midnight.
Additional metro train services on account of Sivarathri were arranged to help devotees reach the temple. On Wednesday, there will be special services at a 30-minute interval from Aluva to Pettah starting at 4.30am.