Missed Sabarimala darshan turns blessing

PATHANAMTHITTA: For Girija Murali from Kollams Kallambalam, this years Sabarimala pilgrimage was to be a long-awaited spiritual moment. Carrying virtual queue passes, she began the climb with hope, accompanied by two children and six other women, as part of a 17-member group. But on Tuesday, the hill shrine was overwhelmed by an unexpected surge of pilgrims forcing Girija, two children and six other women to turn back from Pampa to Nilakkal. Exhausted and anxious thinking that they would not be able to have darshan despite having valid passes, they began the journey downhill, their disappointment quiet but palpable. But what unfolded next turned that despair into relief. When the matter came to ADGP S Sreejiths attention, chief coordinator for Sabarimala Police, he immediately instructed officers to ensure darshan for the group. Police personnel traced the women, and guided them all the way back up the hill, ensuring that the elderly and the children were comfortable through every step of the climb. Soon, Girija and the others finally stood before Lord Ayyappa with their hands folded -- a moment they thought had slipped away just hours earlier. After a peaceful darshan, the group descended the hill, expressing gratitude to the officers who had intervened at the right time. According to the ADGP, the difficulty arose because several pilgrims reached Pampa on Tuesday without virtual queue passes.