Fresh protests erupted at Sabarimala on Saturday night when a group of not less than hundred devotees staged a nama japa at the Lower Thirumuttom. When reports last came in the protesters were being taken down to Pampa by the police .
The Ayyappa temple witnessed a moderate rush on Saturday. Many pilgrims, including children and the elderly, trekked the hills braving rain in the afternoon. Saturday being an auspicious day for the presiding deity, Dharma Sastha, aka Ayyappan, pilgrims usually reach the temple in large numbers.