VIJAYAWADA, INDIA, November 30, 2016 (The Hindu): A lot of water must have flowed down the Pamba River in the past two decades and many changes have taken place in the journey to the popular Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala. Joint Director of Ground Water and Ayyappa devotee A. Varaprasada Rao who had been to Sabarimala nearly two dozen times over two decades said there were many changes in the journey since he first went there in the early 90s.
Though the number had increased manifold the journey had become comfortable, he said. Earlier, pilgrims who started their journey from Vijayawada in the night reached Kalahasti by dawn where they broke their journey to get a darshan of Sri Kalahasteeswara before they continued their journey to Pamba. Because of the improvement in roads the motor vehicles, usually buses, are covering greater distance and faster. Now, Kanipakam has become the shrine for the first break.
The journey to Sabarimala is dotted by many shrines. Mr. Varaprasada Rao said the Tamil Nadu and Kerala governments had over the two decades renovated the shrines that were in a very dilapidated condition. “Besides the larger shrines like Siripuram, Thiruvannamalai, Palani and Guruvayur, there are several smaller shrines like Bhavani and the smaller Ayyappa temples which have been renovated. Facilities including parking for buses have been created near these shrines,” he said.