Amid tight security, the gates of the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala were thrown open for the two-month long Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season. Kandararu Mahesh Mohanararu opened the sanctum sanctorum of the temple at 5 pm, and performed the poojas, as hundreds of devotees from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and other neighbouring states thronged the shrine located in a reserve forest of …
