SANNIDHANAM: Faith is the only driving force behind thousands who camped at Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple braving hot days and cold nights just to catch a glimpse of the Makaravilakku Many spent hours occupying different vantage points in and around the shrine and muddy hillside to get uninterrupted darshan of Makaravilakku, which was lit at Ponnambalamedu on the day of Makarasankranthi on Monday.Narsingh, a devotee from Hyderabad, said, “Who are we to judge what is divine and what is not? If someone says that an idol is just a stone but not something divine, would that be true? For me, the Makarajyothi, too, is Lord Ayyappan’s ‘maya’.”Most pilgrims set up tent-like structures using blankets and sticks to protect themselves from blazing sun and bone-chilling cold at night. Majority attested that unlike previous years it was easier to find clean spots to get good view of the Makaravilakku as the footfall was less this year.Vishnu Swami from Telangana, who has been coming to the temple for over a decade to witness the religious ritual, said he was lucky to find a spot near Koprakalam at Sannidhanam every year.Pilgrims said the controversy regarding women entry has not affected their faith but admitted that many dropped their plans of visiting the temple fearing untoward incidents. “This time, though we have 25 members in our group, there is not a single woman. Girls and women past the age barrier used to come with us every year but this year they backed off following the row over woman entry and subsequent incidents,” Swami said.Babloo, another pilgrim, said, “We arrived on Saturday night. I have been witnessing the Makaravilakku for many years now and I know it is worth the wait .”

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