Sabarimala (Kerala) | A group of Lord Ayyappa devotees, who had to return without having darshan at Sabarimala due to heavy rush, climbed the holy hills again on Wednesday and offered prayers, thanks to the timely intervention of police.
The 17-member group, comprising children and elderly women from Kallambalam, got the unexpected chance to have a hassle-free darshan of Lord Ayyappa after the police came to know about their plight through the media.
After seeing their visuals on television channels, police coordinator in Sabarimala, ADGP S Sreejith, contacted an elderly woman in the group via phone and asked them to come back assuring support to have darshan.
Two children -- a boy and a girl -- visiting Sabarimala for the first time were also part of the group.
Later in the day, the pilgrims told the media that they had darshan with the support of the police.
"We never expected that we could see Lord Ayyappa and offer him prayers this time. It is only because of the Lord's intervention that we could come back here," an elated woman pilgrim said.
When she expressed her gratitude, the ADGP said thanks should be said to Lord Ayyappa.
Sreejith later told the media that any pilgrim who comes with a virtual queue pass, won't go from Sabarimala without darshan and the police have strong resolve in that.
As nearly two lakh devotees arrived at the Lord Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala on Tuesday within 48 hours of the temple opening for the annual 'mandala-makaravilakku' pilgrimage season, the TDB and the police struggled to manage the massive flow of pilgrims, including children.
Visuals on TV channels on Tuesday showed a massive crowd of devotees packed like sardines in the small area in front of the 18 steps that have to be climbed to reach the main doors of the shrine.
Large crowds of devotees packed the pilgrimage route from Pamba, the foothills of Sabarimala, to the Sannidhanam, with many facing hours-long delays in climbing the path.
