Sabarimala to reopen for Makaravilakku rituals on Dec 30

After completing the mandala pooja on Wednesday, the temple closed for three days. It will reopen on December 30 for rituals of Makaravilakku that would be held on January 15.

Pathanamthitta (Kerala): The Sabarimala temple will reopen on December 30 for the annual festival of Makaravilakku on January 15, officials said on Thursday. The hill shrine was closed on Wednesday for three days after the auspicious mandala pooja festival and darshan of Lord Ayyappa followed by the singing of Harivarasanam song.

The temple was closed by Melsanthi Mahesh Namboothiri at around 10 pm last night. Sabarimala Executive Officer V. Krishnakumar, Administrative Officer OG Biju and Devaswom employees were present at the occasion.

A large number of pilgrims attended the mandala puja while chanting 'Swamiye Saranamayyappa', marking the end of the 41-day annual pilgrimage season. The mandala pooja was performed after adorning the idol of Lord Ayyappa, the principal deity with "thanka anki", the sacred golden attire brought to the Sannidhanam (temple complex) in a ceremonial procession on Tuesday evening.

The rituals were performed under the aegis of temple tantri (head priest), Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru who adorned the idol with the sacred attire. Special rituals including 'kalabhabhishekam" and "kalashabhishekam" were performed during the occasion.

Thousands of pilgrims from within and outside Kerala queued up for hours in and around the Sannidhanam along with prominent officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). Nagaland Governor L Ganesh, Kerala Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan, K U Jenish Kumar MLA, Travancore Devaswom Board President P S Prashanth and various higher officials were among others present during the occasion.

Later on, Nagaland Governor lauded Kerala government over the facilities provided for the pilgrims at Sannidhanam and on the traditional trekking path. More than 31 lakh pilgrims visited Sabarimala temple during this season till December 25.