SABARIMALA: Pilgrims had to stand in queues for nearly 15 hours to have darshan at the Sabarimala temple on Saturday. Queues had extended up to Marakkottam in the past three days. Things turned worse on Saturday after the police blocked both private and KSRTC vehicles in faraway towns including Pathanamthitta and Erumeli to manage crowd flow, something that is not done even during the peak of the Makaravilakku season.
Police had a tough time controlling the pilgrims as Valiyanadapandal, U-Turn and Saramkuthi all remained crowded. The flyover, sopanam and lower Thirumuttom too were packed. Devotees found it difficult to make neyyabhishekam and other offerings.
While devotees from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu continued to arrive in big numbers, there has been an increase in the flow of pilgrims from within the state, mainly owing to the Christmas holidays.
Due to solar eclipse, the temple will remain closed from 7.30am to 11.30am on Thursday and it is believed to be the reason for the heavy rush in the past four days.With Mandalavilakku falling on Friday, the hill shrine is sure to remain crowded for a few more days.
Big plans for last two days
Expecting heavy rush on Thursday and Friday, the police have made extensive plans to manage crowd at Sannid-hanam, Pampa and Nilakkal.
