THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thousands of people offered bali for their ancestors at key sites in the Thiruvananthapuram district, as part of the annual Karkidaka Vavu on Thursday.
“The crowd is heavier than last year. Extensive arrangements have been made with the collaborative efforts of multiple departments, including fire and rescue, police and KSRTC. The bali offerings, which started at 2.30 am, will continue till 2 pm," said Thiruvallam ward councillor Sathyavathi V.
Close to 40,000 people have already performed the bali rituals by morning, against the usual count of 50,000 at the Thiruvallam Parasurama Swami Temple. Arrangements have been made at nine Bali Mandapams at the temple so that close to 3,500 people can perform the rituals simultaneously.
Despite experiencing rogue seas on Wednesday, the waters remain relatively calm on the day of Vavubali. “Issues of sea wrath were there even yesterday, with two houses being severely damaged,” said the Shankhumukham ward councillor Seraphine Freddy, adding that necessary electric lines have been cut to avoid accidents at the site of bali offerings. However, this has not affected the number of devotees. The weather also remains supportive with occasional light showers.
Another important site of Bali Tharpanam, the Papanasam beach at Varkala, is also experiencing light rains and strong waves. “Wednesday evening was not as busy as the usual eve of Vavubali. However, close to 10,000 people have already performed the rituals,” Papanasam ward councillor Ajayakumar C informed. Fire and rescue officials, police officers and lifeguards have been deployed at the beach to prevent any unfortunate events.
Special services have been arranged by KSRTC as part of Karkidaka Vavu, with instructions being provided to do services as per demands.