Kerala rains: Darshan at Sabarimala temple suspended during monthly rituals

Sabarimala temple will not be open for devotees during the monthly rituals. Pathanamthitta district administration has been directed by a high-level committee chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to ensure safe return of devotees who have already reached Nilakkal.

Thiruvananthapuram: Devotees will not be allowed to visit the hill shrine, Sabarimala opened on October 16 for 'Thulam' monthly rituals as heavy rain has been wreaking havoc in the state. A high-level committee meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made the decision on Monday.

Ardent devotees have already reached the temple which was supposed to be open for darshan from October 17. They booked their slot fordarshan through the virtual queue booking system. Pathanamthitta district administration has been directed to ensure safe return of devotees who reached Nilakkal for darshan. The flood situation in the district is expected to get aggravated as Kakki dam shutters have been opened.

Nilakkal and Poonthenaruvi areas recorded 20 centimetres of rain on Sunday. Water levels in rivers including Pamba have gone up considerably and the water level in Pamba is expected to go up further by 10 to 15 centimetres when water from the Kakki dam reaches the river.

It was observed in the meeting that there are higher chances of landslide in the area near the shrine, where heavy rain has been lashing. As rain is estimated to be intensified from Wednesday, the meeting raised alarm bells over devotees visiting the shrine.

Earlier, it was decided that devotees should not be permitted till Tuesday as the rains continued unabated. However, complete suspension of darshan during monthly rituals has been ordered now.

Torrential rain has worsened the situation in Central Kerala. Flooding and landslides killed many in Kottayam and Idukki districts.