Hundreds of devotees started trekking the holy Sabari Hills in Kerala as the two-month long annual pilgrimage season got under way today with the temple opening on the eve of the auspicious month of 'Vrishchikam' of the Malayalam calendar.<br/>Despite steady drizzle, Lord Ayyappa devotees, mostly from southern states, have begun to pour into foothills Pampa, from where the five-km trek to the uphill shrine starts. The first leg of the pilgrimage, 41-day mandala season, got under way with traditional high priest Kantararu Maheswaru opening the temple portals. This was followed by ceremonious anointment of new chief priests or melsanthis for the main shrine and adjoining Malikappuram Devi temples.<br/>The "Mandala pooja" would be held on the 26th of next month. The temple will be closed for four days, after which the "Makaravilakku" season will start, culminating with the 'makara jyoti' darshan on January 14. <br/>Hundreds of police personnel, including Rapid Action Force, had been deployed in and around the temple complex for security, crowd management and traffic control.