Source: The Hindu
PATHANAMHITTA, December 24, 2001: The Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple has seen unprecedented crowds since Saturday. The police had to detain pilgrims for up to three hours as part of crowd-control measures. The line of devotees was extended on the trekking path this morning with many pilgrims waiting for eight to ten hours to enter the temple. Meanwhile, traffic bottlenecks added to the delays of the pilgrims. It took four to five hours for many vehicles to cover a 22-km stretch of the main trunk road to Sabarimala due to traffic snarls. The delay in issuing the entry pass at the two counters at the toll gate, inadequate police deployment to control traffic and illegal parking of vehicles has reportedly contributed to traffic congestion. According to the Devaswom sources, the temple will close at 11:00 p.m. on December 26 and reopen at 5:00 p.m. on December 31 for the Makaravilakku festival that begins on January 1, 2002.