The annual Niraputhari festival was celebrated at the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala on Friday. Hundreds offered worship at the temple on the auspicious occasion, which is believed to bring good luck and prosperity in the year ahead.
Melsanthi P.N. Narayanan Namboodiri opened the sanctum sanctorum at 5 a.m. The rituals began with the Ashtadravya Ganapati Homam.Senior Tantri Kandarau Maheswararu, assisted by junior Tantri Kandararu Mahesh Mohanararu, performed the ritual. Devotees offered bunches of fresh paddy spikes to the presiding deity.
The ceremony began at 5.45 a.m. The senior Tantri, assisted by his grandson and junior Tantri, performed the Niraputharipuja at the Namaskara Mandapam.
The bunches of paddy spikes were taken to the sanctum sanctorum in a ceremonial procession, to the accompaniment of Marappani and other temple percussion.
The Tantri performed deeparadhana after offering rice flakes (Aval) made of the fresh paddy offered by devotees as Nivedayom to the deity. T he paddy spikes were distributed among the devotees.
The temple was closed after the Athazhapuja in the evening.
New Tantri The one-year rotational term of senior Tantri Kandararu Maheswararu at Sabarimala ends on August 16 and his nephew, Kandararu Rajeevararu, will assume charge as the Tantri (chief priest) for the next one-year period beginning from Malayalam New Year on August 17. The Ayyappa temple will be reopened on August 16 for the five-dayrituals in the Malayalam month of Chingom.
