Thousands thronged Mangaladevi Temple for Chitra Pournami

KATTAPPANA: Thousands of devotees from Kerala and Tamil Nadu thronged the Mangaladevi temple in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, near Kumily, here for the Chitrapournami festival on Tuesday. The temple of goddess Kannaggi, believed to have been built over a thousand years ago, opens annually on Chitrapournami. The devotees had to travel a 15km stretch inside the forest from Kumily.

The temple opened at 6 a.m. and closed at 3 p.m., after the rituals. In the wake of the Pullumedu tragedy, the security measures were tightened with the deployment of a large number of police force. Devotees thronged the temple from early morning till the entry was closed at 3 p.m. The police and forest officials in association with the Hindu organisations had made elaborate arrangements for the pilgrims.

There were 400 police officials on duty at different locations of the temple. The District Collector from Tamil Nadu and SubCollector of Idukki reached here to review the security measures.