Sabarimala: police lift curbs at Pamba

Sabarimala: The police have lifted curbs imposed during the night at Pamba, the base camp for Sabarimala pilgrimage.

Earlier, the authorities had imposed restrictions for devotees visiting the hill shrine between 9.30 pm to 2 am.

A group of devotees began 'nama japa' protests inside the Lord Ayyappa shrine complex on Wednesday.

Nearly 75 devotees gathered near the north gate of the Sannidhanam in the evening and started Namajapa protests chanting hymns in praise of Lord Ayyappa.

The devotees are protesting police action against those chanting Ayyappa mantras at Sannidhanam. The police prohibited them from proceeding to 'nadapanthal', where devotees stay at Sannidhanam during the pilgrimage.

Following this, the devotees moved to Malikappuram temple near the sanctum sanctorum.

Later in the night, union minister Pon Radhakrishnan, who visited the hill shrine on Wednesday, also joined the ‘nama japa’ protest.

The Lord Ayyappa temple witnessed unprecedented protests for the first time on November 18 after devotees were reportedly refused permission to halt at Malikappuram.

Hundreds of police personnel have been camping at the Sabarimala ever since the beginning of the Mandala pooja season on November 16 this year for the over-two-month-long pilgrimage season.

Though 54 days have passed since the top court delivered a historic verdict allowing women of all ages to offer prayers at the Sabarimala temple, no women in the age group of 10-50 years has so far made it to the temple.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had on Tuesday said the Sangh Parivar's agenda was to create trouble by sending ‘karsevaks’ to take control of the Sabarimala temple and make the pilgrims ‘scapegoats’.