Hundreds of devotees gathered at Kerala’s Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple on Monday as the shrine opened for darshan on the first day of Chingam, marking the beginning of the Malayalam New Year. Pilgrims had started reaching the hill shrine in large numbers from Sunday evening ahead of the important monthly rituals. The temple opened for devotees at 5:00 AM on August 17. The Chingam month ceremonies will continue through August 21, after which the shrine will close at 10:00 PM. It