Sabarimala Mandalakala pilgrimage: All you need to know

No pilgrim will be allowed to trek up the Sabarimala hill without a COVID negative certificate obtained before 24 hours. 25 Kerala State Road Transport Corporation buses will operate from Pandalam, Pathanamthitta and Chengannur Depots.

Pathanamthitta:Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple was opened for Mandalakala Makaravilakku pilgrimage on Monday amid COVID regulations. As per tradition, the 41 dayMandalakalapilgrim season has commenced with the lighting of a ghee lamp in the sanctum sanctorum on November 15 evening.

On November 16, the new head priests who have assumed charge opened the temple and took over the poojas. After thepoojas, the nada will be closed on December 26 night. Thereafter, it will be reopened on December 30 evening for Makaravilakku poojas.Makaravilakkufalls on January 14. The temple will be closed on January 20 marking an end to the annual Sabarimala pilgrim season.

Pooja schedule at Sabarimala Temple on a usual day

The sanctum sanctorum at the temple will be opened at 4 am.Morning pooja will be at 7.30 am. Thenadawill remain closed for the morning ritual of offering dessert (Idichu Pizhinja Usha payasam Nivedyam)to Ganapathy and Nagarajavu dieties .

After a short while, the nada will be opened to resume darshan for the pilgrims. At 12 noon, Neyyabhishekam which is a very important offering at Sabarimala, is performed on the Ayyappa deity.During the ritual , the diety is anointed with ghee offered by devotees, following which the ghee is offered to devotees.Then the sanctum sanctorum is washed and wiped clean for the ucha pooja preparation.The nada will remain closed until 4 in the evening.

The temple nadawill be open for visit again at 4 pm.Deeparadhana (pooja with lit lamps) is at 6.30 pm. At 7.30 pm, Pushpabhishekam , showering of flowers is performed on the deity. Athazha poojaat the temple is at 10 pm offering appam,a rice and jaggery dish andpanakam,a traditional beverage made of jaggery, dry ginger, water and other ingredients. After athazha pooja and nivedyam, the sanctum sanctorum is cleaned again. At 11 pm, the temple nada closes after ‘Harivarasanam’ song.

Read:Pilgrimage season begins at Sabarimala temple

COVID time pilgrimage: Arrangements and regulations this year

1.Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses will commute from Pandalam, Pathanamthitta and Chengannur Depots. As many as 25 KSRTC buses will be operating in chain services between Pamba and Nilakkal.

2.Small vehicles (like cars) with pilgrims can reach up to Pamba. However, the vehicles cannot be parked in Pamba. The drivers can drop off the pilgrims at Pamba and return to Nilakkal to park the vehicles.

3.COVID tests would be facilitated for the pilgrims at Nilakkal.

4.A COVID negative certificate issued after testing within the previous 24 hours from the time of entry to the temple premises is mandatory for all pilgrims.

5.Antigen test for COVID 19 would be performed for those pilgrims who do not have a valid COVID negative certificate.

6.Those who test positive for COVID at the Nilakkal facility will not be allowed to trek up the hill temple under any circumstances.

7.Pilgrims will not be allowed to take a dip in Pamba river this year, as part of the COVID regulations. Separate shower areas have been facilitated for men and women for bathing.

8.Kettu Nirakkal(Irumudi Kettu preparation is significant in Sabarimala pilgrimage. This involves filling ghee in the coconut before a diety to be offered at the sannidhanam) will be facilitated at the Pamba Ganapathi Temple.

9.The virtual queue booking receipt/document for darshan would be checked near Pamba Ganapathy Temple.

10.The pilgrims would be given drinking water in steel containers at the base on a refundable payment of Rs 200. Rs 200 would be returned on returning the containers after the pilgrimage to the hill shrine.

11.Arrangements have been made to sanitise hands and legs below thepathinettam padi.

12.Police presence will not be there on thepathinettam padi.

13. Flyover at the sannidhanamwill not be utilised.

14.Shayana pradhakshinam will not be allowed at the sopanam of the temple this year as part of the special regulations.

15.Neythenga(ghee filled coconuts for Neyyabhishekam) will be received at a special counter set up behind the sanctum sanctorum.

16.The pilgrims can collect the ghee Prasadam after the Neyyabhishakam from the Northern Nada after the Darshan at the Malikappuram’s abode.

17.Prasadam including Appam and Aravana can be bought from the counter set up near the Aazhi (the ‘fire worship place’).

18.The pilgrims will not be allowed to stay back in the Sannidhanam after their Darshan.

19.There is no permission to meet the authority (thanthri),head priest (melshanthi) and other priests.

A day’s expenditure as part of the special arrangements:

1.On an average Rs 90 lakh to Rs 1.25 crores are required for the expenses at Sabarimala on a day.

2.A total of approximately Rs 60 Crore is needed for the pilgrimage expenditure.

Revenue at Sabarimala during theMandala Makaravilakkupilgrimage period

Sabarimala generated revenue of Rs 314.83 crores in 2017-2018, Rs 227.53 crores in 2018-2019 and Rs 449.45 crores in 2019-2020.