A minor stampede at the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala on Sunday resulted in 4 pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh being injured, one of them severely, as the rush of devotees increased after authorities took a decision to close the temple at 12:30pm after the Mandalam puja on December 26.
A devotee B Krishna, who is at the temple, said that the surge in the number of devotees, estimated to be in lakhs, resulted in the minor stampede. The officials shifted the 4 injured devotees to a hospital under the aegis of the temple.
The condition of one among the injured is stated to be serious. The other 3 were discharged after giving primary treatment, Krishna said. The devotees were waiting for more than 12 hours in queue complexes for the darshan of Lord Ayyappa.
The 41-day Mandalam festival will conclude on December 27, and the Mandalapuja will be performed at the temple prior to the Utchapuja. The temple will be closed after the Athazhapuja in the evening.
The Ayyappa temple will be reopened for the annual Makaravilakku festival, on the afternoon of December 30. The Makaravilakku festival will be celebrated at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam on January 14, 2011.