Amid heavy security, the doors of the lord Ayyappa temple in Kerala's Sabarimala opened last evening at 5 pm for a special puja. The gates will remain open for a total of 24 hours before they reopen later this month. As around 7,000 devotees arrived at the shrine to climb the 18 holy steps and witness the rituals. Hundreds of police personnel, armed commandos, surveillance cameras and mobile jammers guarded the area in the backdrop of protests from groups opposing the Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all age groups to offer prayers at the hill shrine.