Sabarimala temple nestles in the Sahyadri mountain range in the southernmost state of Kerala in India and is open for only three months in a year: November to January. Yet the temple attracts millions of pilgrims and contributes more than half a billion dollars to the state’s economy. — One of our correspondents in India, Ramesh Avadhani, reports on pilgrims going to Sabarimala.

The famous Sabarimala temple of Lord Ayyappa in Kerala opens Monday for the annual pilgrim season.