Sabarimala Forest

On his way to Sabarimala temple Kameshwar Rao, who was part of a 28-member pilgrim group from Andhra Pradesh, felt uneasy while trekking at one of the sacred hills to reach the forest shrine.

The man identified as Matheswaran developed uneasiness while trekking Neelimala, one of the sacred hills to reach the forest shrine, and was declared brought dead at the Sannidhanam hospital here, they said.

A Sabarimala pilgrim was trampled to death by a wild elephant in a forest area, 60 km from Kerala's Kottayam early on Wednesday morning, police said.

About 360 kg of gunpowder, suspected to have been abandoned after being brought for a ritual fireworks display which has been recently banned, was on Saturday seized from a forest near the famed Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala.

The Forest Department, in association with the Vana Samrakshana Samithi, would offer better facilities to the pilgrims and those who accompany the Thiruvabharanam procession to the Sabarimala temple and back to Pandalam at Laha Forest Inspection Bungalow.

The holy hillock of Sabarimala and surrounding valleys will reverberate with devotional chants for two months from Thursday with the annual pilgrimage to the forest shrine of Lord Ayyappa getting underway.

A day after Kerala High Court rapped the Kerala government over the Sabarimala stampede, the forest department has said total neglect of its repeated warnings against uncurbed entry of vehicles into the narrow hill route was a vital factor for the tragedy.The department said it had been under pressure from state agencies, the temple board and lobby...

On his way to Sabarimala temple Kameshwar Rao, who was part of a 28-member pilgrim group from Andhra Pradesh, felt uneasy while trekking at one of the sacred hills to reach the forest shrine.

The man identified as Matheswaran developed uneasiness while trekking Neelimala, one of the sacred hills to reach the forest shrine, and was declared brought dead at the Sannidhanam hospital here, they said.

A Sabarimala pilgrim was trampled to death by a wild elephant in a forest area, 60 km from Kerala's Kottayam early on Wednesday morning, police said.

About 360 kg of gunpowder, suspected to have been abandoned after being brought for a ritual fireworks display which has been recently banned, was on Saturday seized from a forest near the famed Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala.

The Forest Department, in association with the Vana Samrakshana Samithi, would offer better facilities to the pilgrims and those who accompany the Thiruvabharanam procession to the Sabarimala temple and back to Pandalam at Laha Forest Inspection Bungalow.

The holy hillock of Sabarimala and surrounding valleys will reverberate with devotional chants for two months from Thursday with the annual pilgrimage to the forest shrine of Lord Ayyappa getting underway.

A day after Kerala High Court rapped the Kerala government over the Sabarimala stampede, the forest department has said total neglect of its repeated warnings against uncurbed entry of vehicles into the narrow hill route was a vital factor for the tragedy.The department said it had been under pressure from state agencies, the temple board and lobby...