Mandala-Makaravilakku Mahotsavam ends; Sabarimala temple closed
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Rajaraja Varma, representative of the Pandalam Royal Family, hands over the Sabarimala Shri Kovil key to Administrative Officer Biju V. Nath after the temple closure.
Sabarimala: The Mandala-Makaravilakku Mahotsavam at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple concluded with the temple’s ceremonial closure on Monday morning, as per the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials.
This year’s pilgrimage season saw an exceptional influx of devotees, with approximately 53 lakh people visiting the temple, according to preliminary estimates from the TDB.
The temple was officially closed at 6:30 a.m., following the darshan of Thrikkettanal Rajaraja Varma, a representative of the Pandalam Royal family. Earlier in the day, the temple had reopened at 5 a.m., marking the start of the day with Ganapathi Homam at the East Mandapam.
Later, Melshanthi Arun Kumar Namboothiri performed the Vibhutiyabhishekam ritual on the Ayyappa idol, adorning it with a Rudraksha chain and placing a yoga stick in its hand.
After the recitation of ‘Harivarasanam,’ the Melshanthi extinguished the temple lamps and officially closed the sanctum. The temple keys were then handed over to the royal family representative, according to the release.
The traditional ceremonies concluded with the royal family member transferring the temple keys to Sabarimala Administrative Officer Biju V. Nath, in the presence of Devaswom officials and the Melshanthi. Following the ceremonies, the royal representative and his entourage left for the Pandalam Palace.
The Thiruvabharanam procession is set to reach Pandalam on January 23.
With PTI inputs