Kerala: Sabarimala temple thrown open for Makaravilakku festival

Sabarimala (Kerala), Dec 30 (PTI) The Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple was opened for the Makaravilakku pilgrimage season on Saturday evening.

Chief priest P N Mahesh Namboothiri opened the sanctum sanctorum of the hill shrine in the presence of the tantri (head priest) Kandararu Mahesh Mohanararu.

The temple had been closed late night on December 27 after the 41-day-long Mandala Pooja season.

Various rituals, including 'prasada shudha kriya' and 'bimba shudha kriya', will be held on January 13 and 14 ahead of the Makaravilakku festival on January 15, said the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the apex temple body managing the hill shrine.

Devotees will witness the reception of the 'thiruvabharanam' (the sacred ornaments) at the Sannidhanam (temple complex), and the 'deeparadhana', adorning Lord Ayyappa idol with jewels, on Makaravilakku day.

After the Makaravilakku darshan, the hill shrine will remain open till January 20 for pilgrims to offer prayers.

Meanwhile, the fifth batch of the police team took charge at the Sannidhanam to ensure security and proper arrangements for the pilgrims during the Makaravilakku festival.

The batch of 1,800 policemen includes senior officers, with Palakkad District Police Chief R Anand serving as Special Officer and DySP Srikanth as the Assistant Special Officer.

Kannur Range DIG Thomson Jose flagged off the deployment of police officers who began their duty on Saturday.

He urged the policemen to behave well with the pilgrims, emphasising that sincere and dedicated work should be a priority.

Special care should be taken to ensure smooth darshan for all devotees coming to the Sannidhanam, he said and reminded the police officials to be patient with the pilgrims. PTI