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After Makaravilakku darshan, the hill shrine would remain open till 20 January for pilgrims to offer prayers, the TDB statement said.
The rush at Sabarimala. (Supplied)
The Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, which closed late Wednesday night, 27 December, after the Mandala Pooja, is set to reopen on the evening of 30 December for the Makaravilakku festivities, the temple authorities said.
Various rituals, including “prasada shudha kriya” and “bimba shudha kriya” would be held on 13 and 14 January ahead of the Makaravilakku festival on 15 January, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) said in a statement on Thursday, 28 December.
TDB is the apex temple body which manages the hill shrine.
Devotees would witness the reception of “thiruvabharanam”, the sacred ornaments, at Sannidhanam (temple complex) and the “deeparadhana” adorning the Lord Ayyappa idol with the jewels, on the Makaravilakku day.
After Makaravilakku darshan, the hill shrine would remain open till 20 January for pilgrims to offer prayers, the TDB statement added.
Thousands of pilgrims on Wednesday offered prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple as the Mandala pooja was performed at the hill shrine, marking the culmination of the 41-day-long first leg of the annual pilgrimage season.
The 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 ‘kalabhanhishekam” and “kalashabhishekam”, were performed during the occasion, temple authorities said.
(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)
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