HYDERABAD, India (UCAN) -- Police frisked and used metal detectors on some 200,000 pilgrims gathered for a Marian feast in Hyderabad, a southern Indian city where three deadly bombs exploded in recent months.

The pilgrims came to celebrate the Sept. 8 feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Mother at Our Lady of Health Shrine, a popular Marian pilgrimage center in Hyderabad archdiocese. The archdiocese is based in Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh state, 1,500 kilometers south of New Delhi.

All three recent explosions, allegedly engineered by Islamic terrorists, were at crowded gatherings at this city, known these days for as an information technology hub. For the first time in the 60-year-old shrine's history, pilgrims had to pass through metal detectors, one of the security measures the state has adopted to avoid further mishaps in crowded places.

Nine people were killed on May 18 when a bomb exploded inside Mecca Masjid, a prominent mosque in the city, where some 10,000 people had gathered for Friday prayers.

On Aug. 25, two almost simultaneous explosions killed 41 people. One went off in a restaurant and the other at an outdoor laser-show arena. On that day, the police also reportedly defused 19 more bombs hidden in plastic bags at bus stops, cinemas, road junctions and pedestrian bridges across the city.

At the Marian shrine, pilgrims were not allowed to camp on the premises overnight. In previous years, people who came from far-off places would spend the night at the shrine and attend daylong programs.

Father Sundar Mallavarappu, the shrine's parish priest, said people of all religions including Hindus and Muslims visit the shrine to seek healing, give thanks for favors received and pray to the Blessed Mother.

About 10 percent of pilgrims, some of them Christians, come dressed in saffron cloth, Father Mallavarappu noted. In Indian spiritual tradition, saffron symbolizes renunciation.

The priest said this year, special buses were arranged for pilgrims from distant places. The estimated 200,000 pilgrims included hundreds from neighboring Karnataka and Maharashtra states.

The tight security arrangements, however, did not dampen pilgrims' spirits. Irudaya Nathan, 35, a bank employee, told UCA News he came to fulfill a vow he made when his 1-year-old child fell ill.

Samuel Joseph, 45, a construction worker, said he wore saffron to seek the Blessed Mother's help to guard his family from illness. He told UCA News he would wear the dress on the feast day for three consecutive years.

Nuka Francis, 42, a driver, was also clad in saffron, together with his wife and three children. He said he and his family hope their action will protect them from all problems. Another pilgrim, A. Tony, 60, came to give thanks for a successful heart surgery he underwent recently.

The day's festivities began with a Mass at 4 a.m. and concluded with a procession in the evening. Archbishop Marampudi Joji of Hyderabad led the feast day Mass at 10:30 a.m.

The statue of the Blessed Mother, believed to have miraculous healing power, was brought from Italy in 1904.

END

(Accompanying photos available at here)