Sabarimala witnesses power outage during monthly pujas

The trekking path from Neelimala to Appachimedu reportedly plunged into darkness after a KSEB transformer at Pampa malfunctioned on October 19

Even as the portals of the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala were closed after the five-day long monthly pujas that concluded on October 21, reports have emerged of a power outage that affected the entire pilgrimage zone late Saturday night (October 19, 2024).

The trekking path from Neelimala to Appachimedu was reportedly plunged into darkness after a KSEB transformer at Pampa malfunctioned. The power outage, which began around 7 p.m. and lasted until 12.30 a.m., forced devotees to navigate the hill using torches on their mobile phones. The situation was worsened by heavy rains and an unprecedented rush of pilgrims, adding to their difficulties.

The Travancore Devaswom Board confirmed the incident, attributing the outage to severe lightning in the area. “The outage lasted just under 45 minutes and was fixed promptly,” said P.S. Prashanth, president, TDB. According to him, arrangements are being made to ensure that such issues do not occur in future.

Incidentally, the power outage occurred during a time when the trekking path was experiencing a heavy influx of pilgrims. As per estimates, around 60,000 people visited the temple that day.

Published - October 22, 2024 06:17 pm IST