A week after the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple opened for the annual pilgrimage , there is an unusual calm at the hill shrine in Pathanamthitta. Nearly six lakh devotees have completed the trek through the Periyar Tiger Reserve.

The tranquil scene of mist, rain-washed forest trails and an unhurried flow of pilgrims is in sharp contrast to the chaos of the first few days of the season. It began even before the temple opened, triggered by a High Court-monitored probe into alleged misappropriation of gold involving Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials. There was a flurry of reviews, security checks and confident claims about the arrangements followed.

As the crowds began to build, every system buckled under the pressure. Cleanliness and hygiene faded away, there were food and water shor

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