Salem: The Tamil Nadu forest and police have banned devotees from travelling to Mahadeshwara Hills in Chamarajanagar district in Karnataka from Kolathur in Salem by walk, motorcycles and autos for five days from Saturday to prevent man-animal conflict on the route that passes through the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.The move comes after the Rajnagar district collector in Karnataka banned the devotees, pedestrians, two-wheelers and autos from travelling through the 7km forest road from Talabetta to Mahadeshwara Hills from Friday to Feb 18 after a leopard attacked a child who was on a pilgrimage to the hill temple on Wednesday. An official source said Shreyas, 8, of South Chennapatta in Bengaluru, was attacked by a leopard while he was heading to the Sri Male Mahadeshwara Temple along with his family. “The boy sustained injuries to his arms and legs. He was rescued by the Mahadeshwara Hills police and admitted to a nearby govt primary health centre.” Meanwhile, Maha Shivratri celebrations started at the Sri Male Mahadeshwara Temple on Saturday. The festival draws devotees from various states, including Tamil Nadu, in India. “To avoid man-animal conflict, we have banned the devotees from travelling to the temple by walk, two-wheelers and autos until Feb 18. They could, however, travel by van, car and bus,” said a forest official.
