Devotional fervour marked performance of ‘Padi Pooja’ to Lord Ayyappa by Transport Minister Sidda Raghava Rao here coinciding with the Makaravilaku pilgrimage season at Sabarimala.
Amidst chants of “Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa”, the Minister along with his wife Lakshmi Padmavathi performed ‘deeparadhana’ to the 18 steps leading to tastefully decorated shrines of Lord Ayyappa, Lord Ganesha and Lord Subramanya made out of plantain bark.
Earlier, ‘Poolabhishekam’ was performed to the steps decorated with silk clothes after lighting of traditional oil lamps in rows in Kerala style.
