Tamil Nadu Ayyappa devotee dies on way to Sabarimala

A 29-year-old Ayyappa devotee from Tamil Nadu, who was on his way to the Lord Ayyappa temple here for darshan, died due to suspected heart attack on Tuesday morning, police said.

The deceased man was identified as Matheswaran, a native of Anna Nagar of the neighboring state.

"He 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.

Heart attack was suspected to be the reason for the young pilgrim's death and it could be confirmed only after the post mortem, they added.

Meanwhile, the Sabarimala shrine, where the annual mandalam-makaravilakku pilgrimage is underway, is witnessing heavy rush for the last one week. Besides the devotees from Kerala, a large number of pilgrims from neighboring Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka are flocking to the shrine to offer prayers.