Lakhs of devotees witness 'Makaravilakku' in Sabarimala

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Lakhs of devotees witness 'Makaravilakku' in Sabarimala
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In an atmosphere of religious fervor and gaiety, lakhs of devotees converged to offer worship at the famed Sabarimala Ayyappa temple here on the auspicious occasion of 'Makaravilakku' Friday evening, marking the culmination of over two-months-long pilgrimage.

The holy hill of Sabarimala, atop which the Ayyappa temple is located and the banks of river Pampa reverberated with chants of 'Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa' by pilgrims who flocked there from across the country.

Every inch of space at the famed temple and also on the neighbouring hills was filled with pilgrims who were waiting since early evening, to witness the divine experience, when the light comes up on the horizon, thrice in a space of few minutes.

The portals of the shrine was thrown open after the 'deeparadhana' (arati) in the evening.

The 'Makara Jyothi', held as a divine light by devotees, flickered across the eastern horizon above the Ponnambalamedu soon after the 'arati'.

Devotees, including senior citizens, aged women and children, queued with folded hands for hours to have a glimpse of the presiding deity, who was adorned with 'Thiruvabharanam', the holy jewels which were brought here in a ceremonial procession moments before the 'arati'.

The procession carrying the jewels in wooden caskets had begun a couple of days earlier from the Pandalam palace where, according to legend, Lord Ayyappa was born and spent his childhood.

The hillock had been witnessing heavy rush of devotees, especially from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka besides Kerala over the last few days.

Hundreds of devotees camped atop the hill in make-shift tents and shacks for some days to have 'darshan' of the deity.

The Travancore Devaswom Board made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the finale of the pilgrimage.