Varkala Sivagiri turns into yellow sea of devotees

SIVAGIRI: It resembled a yellow sea as devotees clad in yellow garments flocked to worship at the feet of the Gurudeva, in Sivagiri on Sunday. Sivagiri saw an unprecedented rush of devotees on Sunday, which was the second day of the 91st Sivagiri Pilgrimage.

Today is the consecration day of the Gurudeva statue in Mahasamadhi Mandir. At 8 am, there will be a special worship and Pashpakalabhishekam ritual. Pilgrims from different parts of the state have already camped at Sivagiri. The walk led by women devotees also saw large participation.

Traffic got disturbed and for police officials, it was an arduous task to clear way as devotees filled the road starting from the railway station to Sivagiri mutt in big numbers. Devotees reached the Mahasamadhi Mutt en masse chanting Narayana mantras and chanting Daiva Dasakam hymns with devotion.

Apart from the Mahasamadhi, the devotees moved past the Sarada Mutt and the Vaidika Mutt. As dusk fell, the flow of people became unmanageable. As the weather was clear and it was a Sunday, devotees from faraway places took the convenience of reaching Sivagiri by train and bus since morning.

The Sivagiri Mutt opened its pilgrimage season on December 15 for as many as people possible to reach the place avoiding crowding. And now, even after 15 days, the rush is not showing any signs of slowing down.