Lakshmana met Sabari, an ardent devotee, at Sabarimala. Sabari offered the Lord fruits after tasting them. But the Lord accepted them gladly and whole-heartedly. The Lord then turned and saw a divine person doing tapas. He asked Sabari who it was. Sabari said it was Sasta. Rama walked towards Sasta and the latter stood up to welcome Prince Ram. The anniversary of this incident is celebrated on Makara Vilakku day. It is believed that on Makara Vilakku day, Lord Dharmasasta stops his tapas to bless his devotees. The most famous Ayyappa shrine in India is the one at Sabarimala with over 50 million devotees visiting it every year.. The huge crowd of pilgrims that witnesses the event has been on the rise every year. It is believed that 1.5 million devotees witnessed Makarajyoti light in 2010. The revenue collection during the Makaravilakku period was also higher compared to previous years. The total donations were Rs.720 million in 2008 against previous year’s Rs.723 million. Sabarimala stampedes and authenticity debate In 1999 and 2011, two major human stampedes occurred on 14 January, Makara Jyothi Day at Sabarimala, killing 53 and 106 people respectively. . In 1999 the Justice T Chandrasekhara Menon committee that investigated the stampede refrained from going into the details of authenticity of 'Makara Jyothi'. Committee stated that Makarajyothi is a matter of belief and can't be probed. Justice Chanadrasekhara Menon had probed the veracity of makarajyothi during that time. He also appointed an advocate of the commission to witness the makarajyothi. In 2011 another human stampede occurred on 14 January, Makara Jyothi Day at Sabarimala. It broke out during an annual pilgrimage, killing 102 pilgrims and injuring more than 100. Amid a renewed debate after this stampede, Kerala High Court wanted to know whether or not the ‘Makarajyothi’ is a man-made phenomenon, asking about the authenticity of the hallowed celestial light visible from Sabarimala. "A distinction has to be made between the Makaravilakku and Makara Jyothi. The Jyothi is a celestial star. Makarvilakku is lit [by people],' said the head of the Thazamon Thanthri family, Kantararu Maheswararu. After this Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) said that it was known to most believers that it was a man lit-fire, but there was a Hindu belief behind it. "It is known to everybody that Makara Jyothi is a fire lit up by men at Ponnabalamedu and TDB also recognises this', TDB President