As the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple gears up for the Mandala Puja, the hillock on Thursday overflowed with pilgrims, who waited in queues for long hours for darshan.
The influx, which kept the authorities on their toes, prompted the police to regulate the flow of pilgrims from Pampa to the hilltop in clusters. The entry of vehicles from Erumely too had be regulated as part of managing the crowd at Nilackal and Pampa.
The police had a tough time convincing the devotees about the need for staying back in parked vehicles. The traffic situation at Erumely, meanwhile, continued to be chaotic for more than a week now. But at the same time, the Pathanamthitta-Laha-Plappally route witnessed a rather smooth traffic with the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation too operating services normally.
Besides the trunk roads leading to Pampa, the forest routes to Sabarimala too have witnessed a sharp surge in the flow of pilgrims this season. As per estimates, over one lakh devotees reached the temple through these routes till Wednesday. Of this, 55,366 people made their way through the Azhuthakadavu route while 45,223 used the Sathram-Pullumedu route.
Meanwhile, the procession carrying the sacred golden attire Thanka Anki will set off for Sabarimala from Sree Parthasarathy Temple at Aranmula on Saturday. The procession, which will reach Pampa on December 26, will be accorded a reception at Saramkuthi before being taken to the Sabarimala temple.
The Thanka Anki, weighing 453 sovereigns, was offered to the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple by the late Chithira Tirunal Balarama Varma of the royal family of erstwhile Travancore in 1973.
The presiding deity will be adorned with the Thanka Anki prior to the Deeparadhana to be held in the evening. The Mandala Puja at Sabarimala will be performed on December 27. The temple will be opened on December 30 at 5 p.m. for the Makaravilakku festival which will be held on January 15.
Meanwhile, the special drive launched by the Food Safety department unearthed a slew of violations by eateries in the pilgrimage zone. The department imposed a fine of ₹1.10 lakh on the erring units.
The department has so far carried out 858 inspections across Nilackal, Pampa, and the Sannidhanam and the majority of the violations pertained to preparing food in unhygienic conditions.
“The food safety wing has constituted 12 special squads for Sabarimala and four squads each are functioning at the Sannidhanam, Pampa, and Nilakkal. The special squads deployed at the Sannidhanam have conducted 259 inspections while those in Pampa have done 240 inspections. As many as 359 inspections have been conducted at Nilackal as well,” said an official.
