Tears of joy as devotees enter Ettumanoor Temple for first time using wheelchairs

Ettumanoor: Gauri and Padmakumar couldn't hold back their tears as they offered prayers to Ettumanoorappan, seated in their wheelchairs, finally able to come near the temple flagpole after years of waiting. Owing to the newly constructed ramps, they became the first devotees to enter the Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple on wheelchairs.

For 23-year-old Gauri, her last memory of being near the sanctum was as a toddler, when her mother Asha carried her into the temple. Diagnosed with a rare condition that gradually robbed her of mobility, Gauri continued visiting the temple until age 10, always with her mother’s support. But the absence of accessibility facilities eventually forced her to stay outside. “Being able to enter the temple again is one of the happiest moments of my life,” Gauri said.

Padmakumar, a retired higher secondary school principal, shared a similar story of joy. Affected by polio since childhood, he used to visit the temple regularly. But 13 years ago, an accident left him fully dependent on a wheelchair. Since then, his visits to the temple came to a halt.

Minister V N Vasavan inaugurated the ramps on Sunday. The initiative was undertaken at the request of the temple advisory committee. The temple’s administrative officer, S Abhilash, presided over the event. Advisory committee president P K Rajan, secretary Mahesh Raghavan, municipal councillors E S Biju and Suresh Vadakkedam, other committee members, and Devaswom staff were present.