Two Days To Makaravilakku: Rituals Begin At Sabarimala, Security Tightened

Sabarimala: With just two days left for the Makaravilakku festival, ceremonial rituals at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple will begin on Monday. The preparatory purification rites will start with Prasada Shuddhi rituals in the evening, followed by Bimba Shuddhi inside the sanctum sanctorum on Tuesday morning. On Monday evening, rituals including Rakshoghna Homam, Vasthu Homam, Raksha Kalasam and Vasthu Punyaham will be performed.

The Makaravilakku and Makara Sankranti pooja will be held on Wednesday. The Sankranti abhishekam is scheduled for 3.08 pm on January 14. The temple will open at 2.45 pm and the pooja will begin at 3 pm. The rituals will be led by Thantri Kandar Mahesh Mohanar and Melsanthi E D Prasad Namboothiri. Ghee sent through a special royal messenger from the Kavadiyar Palace will be used for the abhishekam.

Pilgrims have begun arriving and staying at the Sannidhanam to witness the Makaravilakku. Devotees are mainly gathering at the large Nadapandal, Pandithavalam and BSNL areas. The rush was relatively light on Sunday, with the Nadapandal largely vacant. Police and Devaswom Board officials expect the number of pilgrims to rise from Monday following the completion of the Erumeli Pettathullal.

Security tightened at Sannidhanam

Security arrangements at the Sannidhanam have been strengthened ahead of the Makaravilakku festival. Acting on directions from the Kerala High Court, barricades were installed from Sunday afternoon to regulate the movement of pilgrims. A review meeting chaired by Sabarimala ADM Arun S Nair was held to assess preparedness.

As per the court order, restrictions have been imposed on the number of pilgrims allowed during the festival. On Tuesday, 35,000 pilgrims will be permitted entry. On Makaravilakku day, 30,000 pilgrims will be allowed through the virtual queue system and 5,000 through spot booking. Entry to the Sopanam for Makaravilakku darshan will be restricted to those holding special passes. Restrictions have also been imposed on media coverage, including the installation of cameras and photography near the Sopanam.

Police have prepared a master plan to manage the crowd. Special officers at Sannidhanam, Pampa and Nilakkal will oversee arrangements to ensure smooth darshan and the safe return of pilgrims. Additional police personnel will be deployed along with central forces, RAF and NDRF teams. Construction of temporary huts and unauthorised cooking in forest areas have been strictly prohibited. Joint inspections by the police, forest department and fire force will begin from Monday. Food arrangements for pilgrims will be provided by the Devaswom Board. Inspections have also been carried out at designated viewing points for the Makarajyothi under the supervision of the district administration.

Thiruvabharanam procession to begin today

The ceremonial procession carrying the Thiruvabharanam(ornaments), to be adorned on the Ayyappa idol on Makaravilakku day, will begin from the Pandalam Valiyakoyikkal Temple at 1 pm on Monday. The ornaments were brought from the Pandalam Srambhikkal Palace to the temple early Monday morning and were kept open for public darshan till noon.

The procession will then leave for Sabarimala at 1 pm, passing through Manikandan Althara and reaching the Kulanada Devi Temple, where the caskets will be opened for darshan. It will continue through the Aranmula and Ulannoor temples and halt for the night at the Ayiroor Puthiyakavu Temple. On Tuesday, the procession will proceed via Perunad to the Lahai forest department rest house.

On Wednesday, the procession will move through the forest route, passing Plappally, Attathodu, Valiyaanavattam and Cheriyaanavattam, and reach Sharankuthi by evening. From there, Devaswom Board officials will receive the Thiruvabharanam and escort it to the Sabarimala Sannidhanam. The ornaments will be adorned on the idol during the evening deeparadhana, followed by the lighting of the Makaravilakku at Ponnambalamedu.