On Saturday, thousands of Ayyappa pilgrims thronged the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, offered prayers, and witnessed ‘Makaravilakku’ light up three times. Lakhs of Ayyappaswami devotees watched the live footage on TV worldwide. All the places from where the Makara Jyoti could be glimpsed filled up with devotees who patiently waited from Saturday afternoon itself.
The auspicious ‘Thiruvabharanam Ghoshayatra’ (procession) to pay tribute to Ayyappaswamy on Sankrama Sandhya reached Sannidhanam around 6.30 pm. The wooden boxes contained the sacred jewels to be adorned on Bhagwan Ayyappa on 14 January, the day of the ‘Makaravilakku’ festival. Sabarimala Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru and Melshanthi K Jayaraman Namboothiri escorted the Thiruvabharana casket to the shrine and closed the temple around 6.32 pm.
The bright flame of Makaravilakku lit up thrice between 6.46 and 6.48 at Ponnambalamedu. On the auspicious occasion, many devotees stayed at nearby vantage points of forest hillsides and grasslands to witness the Makaravilakku. Ayyappa Saranam chants echoed throughout the hill shrine, and Makaravilakku sent pilgrims into a frenzy.
Chants and hymns intensified when the temple sanctum sanctorum doors opened after the ‘Deeparadhana’ in the evening. The Thiruvabharanam from the Pandalam Srambickal Palace strongroom adored the Bhagwan Ayyappa murti. Ayyappa was born and spent his formative years in Pandalam Palace. A ceremonial procession carrying the sacred ornaments had left the palace on Thursday and arrived at Sannidhanam just before the Deeparadhana.
Following a long-standing custom, early on Thursday morning, the Thiruvabharanam was moved from the Pandalam Palace to the nearby Valiyakoickal Sastha temple so that devotees might receive darshan. The palace officials delivered the gems to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) representatives. A dedicated group of people then transported them to Sabarimala temple.
The group headed for Sabarimala on foot for three days while carrying the boxes on their heads under the leadership of Kulathinal Gangadharan Pillai. He has been doing this ceremony for many years. Usually, a member of the Pandalam royal family accompanies the parade with a ceremonial sword. Due to a family death, none could escort this time.
The procession stopped at several temples along the way and accepted the reception of devotees. Along with the dedicated team, the procession included hundreds of worshippers carrying ‘Irumudikettus,’ or holy bags filled with sacrifices to the deity. The state authorities heavily guarded the procession carrying Bhagwan Ayyappa’s holy jewels.
Later in the day, the Makarasankrama puja was performed at the famous Ayyappa temple. After removing the ornaments from the Ayyappa murti, ghee Abhishekham (anointing) was performed during the puja. After the dinner puja, Ezhunnallathu began from Malikappuram.
Sabarimala witnessed a heavy rush since Friday. The rituals also marked the conclusion of the two-month-long annual pilgrimage of Sabarimala. Temple authorities informed the shrine would close on 20 January.
Up till Friday, pilgrims offered over Rs.310 crores to temple Hundi. The two-month-long pilgrimage season saw a large numbers of Hindu devotees arrive at the shrine. Around one lakh worshippers showed up on some days. Only those who booked via the virtual queuing system were permitted this year. It is estimated that half a crore devotees will have visited Sabarimala by the time it closes later this week.
Despite minor issues, the Sabarimala pilgrimage has passed off satisfactorily this year. Anticipating the rush, the authorities carried out safety-oriented measures. Ayyappa devotees were able to view Makaravilakku comfortably and went home contended.
