SABARIMALA: Clad in black and chanting prayers, thousands of devotees trekked Sabarimala as the hill shrine was opened for the Mandala-Makaravilakku season on Friday, but tight security, screening and restrictions, especially at Nilakkal, Pampa and Sannidhanam, added to their hardship this time.
Police frisked devotees at Elavunkal, Nilakkal, Pampa among other places.
The police had announced pilgrims would be allowed to trek from the morning itself, but they were stopped at Pampa until 2 pm.
The devotees found their suffering even more terrible when they were blocked at Saramkuthi, on the path between Marakkoottam and Nadapandal. Women and children were made to wait for three hours in queues before reaching the holy steps.
Melsanthi Unnikrishnan Nampoothiri opened the sanctum sanctorum at 5 pm in the presence of Thantri Kandararu Rajeevararu.
The thantri also performed the installation ceremony of M V Vasudevan Nampoothiri and A V Narayanan Nampoothiri as the new melsanthi of Lord Ayyappa and Malikappuram temples respectively at 7 pm.