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.
