Sabarimala temple to be opened today

41-day Mandalam festival begins on Monday; pilgrims start arriving at Pampa

The Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala will be opened on Sunday afternoon for the two-month annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage that begins on Monday, the first day in the month of Vrishcikom in the Malayalam calendar. The base camp of Pampa started receiving pilgrims from different parts of south India on Saturday.

V.S. Jayakumar, Sabarimala Executive Officer, told The Hindu that the outgoing Melsanthi, P.N. Narayanan Namboodiri, would open the sanctum sanctorum at 5.30 p.m. on Sunday. The ritualistic installation of E.N. Krishnadas Namboodiri of Paanjal Ezhikode Mana as the new Sabarimala Melsanthi would be celebrated at the temple sopanam at 7 p.m. on Sunday.

S. Kesavan Namboodiri of Mavelikkara would be installed as the new Melsanthi at the Malikappuram Devi temple. The Tantri, Kandararu Rajeevararu, would lead both the installation ceremonies.

However, the temple rituals would begin only with the Tantri performing the Ashtadravya Ganapati Homam on Monday morning.

The 41-day Mandalam festival would conclude on December 27, and the Mandalapuja would be performed at the temple prior to the Utchapuja. The temple would be closed after the Athazhapuja in the evening, marking the culmination of the Mandalam pilgrimage.

The temple would reopen for the Makaravilakku festival on December 30 afternoon. -The Hindu