With heavy rains and floods making the famous hill shrine of Sabarimala in Kerala out of bounds, several Ayyappa devotees from Tamil Nadu chose to end their pilgrimage at local temples here and elsewhere in the state.
Several devotees here who had planned to visit the Sabarimala temple for the 'Chingam' monthly pooja season (August 16-21) and later Onam between August 23 and 27, ended their pilgrimage by offering prayers at the Ayyappan Temple here at Raja Annamalaipuram.
They climbed the 18-steps at the temple, modelled along the lines of the one at Sabarimala, with their 'Irumudi,' (a bag of pooja items) and offered prayers, marking the culmination of the pilgrimage.
Climbing the hallowed 18-steps at Sabarimala with Irumudi is a key feature of the pilgrimage.
Similarly, several devotees from other parts of Tamil Nadu completed their pilgrimage by visiting temples in their neighbourhood like Karungulam Ayyappa temple near Tuticorin.
The Sabarimala temple is open for five days every month, beginning with the first day of the Malayalam month, according to devotees.
"Only three youths managed to cross the Pamba river with Nerkathir (paddy), a traditional offering to the Lord Ayyappa at the Sabarimala temple," claimed a devotee V P Radhakrishnan.
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