Sabarimala: The yearly pilgrimage season, which lasts for two months, began on Wednesday as the doors of the Lord Ayappa temple in Sabrimala in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district opened to devotees for the Mandalam-Makaravilakku celebrations.
In front of the thantri of the temple, the Chief Priest (Melsanthi) opened the sanctum sanctorum and ignited the lamp at the hill shrine today.
The beginning of the Malayalam calendar's Vrishchikam month today marks the start of the 41-day Mandala season, which will last until December 27. For the benefit of the devotees who were unable to reserve their slots for darshan online, live booking services have been set up.
K. Jayaraman Namboothiri assumed leadership as the main priest of Sabarimala, and Hariharan Namboothiri assumed leadership as the chief priest of the Malikappuram temple.
For the past 2 years, COVID-19 protocols had been scaled back to ensure adherence to pandemic protocols but with curbs removed. K Rajan, Revenue minister said, the authorities expect at least 40 lakh devotees to visit the shrine this year. Nearly50,000 devotees are expected as per the virtual queue registrations now.
Last year, only online registration in accordance with COVID-19 rules was permitted for entrance.
In preparation for the Makaravilakku pilgrimage on January 14, 2023, the temple will reopen on December 30. The pilgrimage season will therefore come to an end on January 20 when the shrine will be closed.
The most well-known and notable of all the Sastha temples in Kerala is the Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, which is devoted to Lord Ayyappa. The temple is accessible to people of all religions and is located on a hilltop at around 3000 feet above sea level. Only on the days of Mandalapooja, Makaravilakku, Vishu, and the first day of each Malayalam month is the temple open for worship; it is not open all year round.
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