KOCHI: The banks of the Periyar River are all decked up for the Shivarathri festival which will be taking place in a full-fledged manner after a gap of two years. The Covid pandemic had led to a scaling down of all activities, including festivals. It is estimated that over two lakh devotees will arrive at Aluva Manappuram to offer ‘bali’ to their ancestors.
“The rituals will begin at midnight on Saturday and will continue till 12 noon on Sunday,” said Rajeev Kumar, administrator, Aluva Shiva Temple. According to him, the Manappuram is all geared up to welcome the devotees after a gap of two years. “Undergrowth has been cleared from the areas where the balitharpan is performed,” he said.
Seven areas on the river bank at Manappuram have been demarcated for bali rituals and barricades have been erected there, said Rajeev. “The devaswom board has set up 116 sacrificial altars for offering bali. Nearly all of them have been auctioned off for the festival. Last-minute details have been taken care of to provide devotees with a hassle-free time at the Manappuram,” he said.
According to him, the devaswom has also made available an insurance cover of Rs 2 crore for the devotees. “Barricades have been set up all along the steps leading to the river. Facilities like drinking water and food have been taken care of. The temple will be providing ‘annadanam’ for around 5,000 people. Food will be provided three times a day,” he added.
The temple authorities have made arrangements in association with the district administration and the police to provide security to the devotees arriving at Manappuram. “We have set up a medical facility, and information kiosks and a large number of police personnel are camping on site. A temporary bus station has been set up at Manappuram to help devotees reach their destinations without any hassle,” said Rajeev.
A trade fair and an amusement park too have been arranged in the area. A temporary footbridge having a length of 80 m and width of 12 m has been built across the Periyar from the Kalady side to enable devotees to walk to the Manappuram. Rajeev said the bridge has been constructed using tree stumps, areca nut trunks, iron pipes and aluminium sheets.
The district administration said that a ferry service will be operating from Manelikadavu at Thannipuzha on the opposite bank of the Manappuram. On Saturday, a cultural meeting will begin at 8 pm and various performances will be on till the next day. Arrangements have been made to handle the huge rush of devotees and for this 1,200 police personnel have been deployed. Two vehicles of the Fire and Rescue Services will be deployed along with scuba divers. Temporary labs have been set up to test food samples.
KSRTC has announced 120 additional services to Manappuram. They include long as well as short-distance services. Buses to the Thrissur side will start from the Manappuram stand and those to Perumbavoor and Muvattupuzha from Gandhi Square. KSRTC services to Cherthala will start from the private bus stand. Squads under the Regional Transport Officer will function to check overcharging by taxis on Saturday and Sunday. KSEB too has taken steps to ensure uninterrupted power supply.
Railways too has taken steps to ensure that devotees have a hassle-free travel experience. An additional temporary stoppage will be provided for 06461 Shoranur Junction – Thrissur Unreserved Express at Nellayi, Divine Nagar, Koratti Angadi and Chowara. The earlier notified time of Train No. 16609 Thrissur – Kannur Daily Unreserved Express between Aluva and Thrissur will be revised and additional stoppage provided at Chowara, Koratti Angadi, Divine Nagar, Nellayi, Mullurkara and Vallathol Nagar for the convenience of passengers during Maha Shivaratri festival at Aluva.
Train No. 16325 Nilambur Road – Kottayam Daily Express leaving Nilambur Road on February 18 will have additional stops at Mullurkara, Ollur, Nellayi and Koratti Angadi as notified earlier. Meanwhile, district collector Renu Raj urged all devotees to cooperate with the authorities so that rituals can be completed without any law and order problems or accidents.