Devotees Offer Prayers At Kerala’s Sabarimala Temple As Annual Pilgrimage Season Begins. See Pics

The doors of the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district opened for devotees for the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku festivals on Wednesday evening.

Thousands of devotees on Thursday flocked various temples across southern states to receive a ritualistic initiation from gurus to embark on a pilgrimage to the Sabarimala hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa Swamy in Kerala.

The authorities expect that this year the footfall of the season will increase by 40 to 50 per cent since the season begins for the first time in the absence of Covid-19 restrictions.

Devotees made a beeline to noted temples in Kanyakumari, Rameswaram, Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Kancheepuram and Courtallam to get initiated on the pilgrimage.

To handle the pilgrims and ensure a safe and smooth pilgrimage at Sabarimala temple, Kerala state officials made extensive arrangements and deployed police.