<span style="color: #222222;">The Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala witnessed a heavy-rush of devotees today on the second day of the annual two-month-long Mandala-Makaravilakku puja pilgrimage season which began yesterday.<br />” <br />” Thousands offered prayers after the chief priest opened the sanctum sanctorum of the temple early this morning and performed special poojas.<br />” <br />” Amid tight security, the gates of the Lord Ayyappa temple were thrown open for the pilgrimage season yesterday.<br />” <br />” Although women will be allowed entry in the temple, as the Supreme Court's 2018 order still stands, the Kerala government has decided not to provide police protection to women who plan to visit the temple.<br />” <br />”<br />”On Thursday, the five-judge Constitution bench of the Apex court headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had said that restrictions on women in religious places were not limited to Sabarimala alone and was prevalent in other religions as well. It decided to refer the issue to a larger seven-judge bench to re-examine all such religious issues.&nbsp;</span>