Thousands offer prayers at Mangaladevi temple

May 05, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 07:42 am IST - KUMILY (IDUKKI):

Pilgrims in thousands thronged the Mangaladevi temple in the Periyar Tiger Reserve on the Chitrapournami day on Monday.

The faithful from Tamil Nadu and Kerala offer worship here on the Chitrapournami day for prosperity, love, and godly grace.

The temple is opened only once a year on the Chitrapournami day and the pujas are held both in Tamil and Malayalam by priests representing the two States.

The entry to the temple, 13 km from Kumily, is allowed under strict guidelines monitored by the district administrations of Theni and Idukki.

Though it was a sunny day on Monday, recent heavy rain had made the forest path difficult for vehicles to negotiate.

The police and forest officials had a tough time removing the vehicles that blocked the sludge-filled road.

A Forest Department official said over 18,000 pilgrims visited the temple this year.

The temple is considered an important place of worship by Tamil women on the auspicious day of Chitrapournami.

Most of them stayed at Kumily and started the journey to the temple at 6 a.m.

The pujas began at 6 a.m. and prayers were recited by the priests both in Malayalam and Tamil.

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