NAGERCOIL
Marking the first day of the Tamil month - Kartigai - a large number of Ayyappa devotees thronged the famous Bhagavathi Amman temple and performed special pujas here on Sunday.
After taking a holy dip at the sea, the devotees visited the temple and took the special ‘thulasi maalai’. The devotees going to the Sabarimala shrine would have to undergo certain traditional rituals and in this connection, they would wear specially made dhotis during the next 30 to 40 days.
Meanwhile, devotees from as far as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka visiting the Sabarimala shrine arrived here en route. After taking a dip at the sea here, they offered pujas at the temples here.
There was heavy vehicular movement on the Kanniyakumari-Thiruvananthapuram stretch since Saturday night. According to police, the traffic would remain high till mid-January 2020.
Road accident
Police said that a family comprising five persons, including two children, met with an accident, when the car, in which they were travelling, toppled after hitting a parapet wall. The car, driven by Jeendrakumar of Pattakarai, Kerala, had come to Kanniyakumari Bhagavathi Amman Temple.
As the vehicle was heading towards the city, it hit the parapet wall and toppled. Fortunately, the family members escaped unhurt. Kottar police are investigating.
