Several devotees injured as thousands throng to Deviramma temple in Karnataka's Chikkamagaluru

NEW DELHI: At least 12 devotees sustained injuries as they slipped at the Deviramma Hills in Chikkamagaluru late on Thursday evening. Luckily, all of them escaped with minor injuries, authorities stated, adding that police and rescue teams brought the injured safely back to the Malnad town.

Hundreds of devotees attended the Deviramma festival at the Deviramma Hills in Bindiga near Chikkamagaluru. The temple, located atop the hills in the Western Ghats, is open only once a year during Deepavali, the festival of lights. Devotees reach the temple by traversing through the hills. As it rained heavily for two days in a row, the hills became slippery, leading to the incident, authorities stated.

Amidst rainfall, hundreds of devotees climbed the Deviramma Hills starting from Wednesday and took darshana of the goddess Deviramma ahead of Naraka Chaturdashi. However, the number of devotees on the hills increased on Thursday.

While the district administration and police took precautionary measures to ensure the safety of the visitors, heavy rainfall made the hills slippery. About a dozen devotees sustained minor injuries as they fell while getting back from the temple, authorities stated, adding that all of them are safe.

The festival will conclude on November 3.