Pilgrims will not be allowed at Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala on Saturday due to heavy rains in the southern states.
Pathanamthitta district collector Divya S Iyer said in a statement that in the wake of the continuous rainfall received in the district, rising water levels in Pamba river and the red alert status in both Kakki-Anathode reservoir and Pamba dam, pilgrimage to Pamba and Sabarimala will be prohibited on November 20.
Pilgrims who had booked via virtual queue will be given the opportunity for 'darshan' in the nearest possible slot once the weather conditions turn conducive, the collector said and urged people to cooperate.
Braving inclement weather conditions and the Covid-19 situation, hundreds of devotees have been trekking the hills to offer prayers at the Ayyappa temple since it opened on November 16 for the two-month-long annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season.
Like the previous year, the devotees are being allowed through a virtual queue system this time also as part of efforts to regulate the flow of pilgrims in view of the pandemic and heavy rains.
(With PTI inputs)
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