Thousands of Pilgrims Throng Mangaladevi Temple on Chitrapournami
Thousands of pilgrims thronged the Mangaladevi temple, a 15-km stretch inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) bordering Tamil Nadu, on the occasion of Chitrapournami on Monday. The temple is opened only once a year for pilgrims, and according to officials, the temple opened around 5 a.m. Pujas were held in Tamil and Malayalam by priests representing both States. Thanthri Suryakaladi Mana Jayasuryan Namboothirippad and Valliyankavu temple Melsanthi Biju Kumar Namboothiri led the pujas on the Kerala side. The Kerala side hosted Prasanna puja and Ucha puja at the Sreekovil.
District administrations of Idukki and Theni (Tamil Nadu), along with other religious organisations, have made elaborate arrangements for this year’s pilgrimage. Travancore Devaswam Board president P.S. Prasanth said that the Revenue and Devaswom departments made elaborate preparations for pilgrims this year, leading to an increase in arrival of pilgrims. According to Forest department data, 19,501 pilgrims trekked to the hill shrine on Monday as against 15,534 last year.
Idukki District Collector V. Vigneshwari, Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Shyju P. Jacob, and District Police Chief T.K. Vishnu Pradeep monitored the arrangements. However, devotees complained about inadequate travel arrangements and long waiting hours for travelling to the Mangaladevi temple. Some complained that the vehicles were transporting people from resorts to the temple instead of taking in people waiting at the Kumily bus stand.
Surendran, a resident in Attappallam, near Kumily, in Idukki, said that he and his 90-year-old mother had to wait for more than seven hours for the vehicle. “My mother was in the queue from 4 a.m. early Monday morning, but could manage to board the vehicle only at 11.30 a.m. The authorities failed to provide adequate vehicle facilities,” said Mr. Surendran. Arun Kumar, a resident of Thodupuzha, said that he was at the Kumily bus stand since 4 a.m., but was able to board the bus only after noon. “Authorities had issued over 350 vehicle passes for the off-road jeeps. However, we suspect the jeeps were transporting tourists from resorts to the hill shrine since morning, while we were left in the lurch at the bus stand,” said Mr. Kumar.
