Tens of thousands of Ayyappa devotees from different parts of the country are camping at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam to worship the Makarajyoti on Makaravilakku day on Friday.
The Sannidhanam and surrounding forest areas are teeming with pilgrims awaiting the sighting of the celestial star, Makara, which appears on the eastern horizon of the hillock, and to witness the deeparadhana to be performed at the Ponnambalamedu hillock facing the Ayyappa shrine in the twilight hours of Friday.
Disregarding restrictions, many have occupied the rooftops of certain high-rise buildings. Many pilgrims from outside Kerala reached Sabarimala on Wednesday under the impression that the Makaravilakku falls on January 14 this year as in the previous year.
Many are camping in makeshift tents on the hillsides in the forest areas of Paandithavalom, Malikappuram, Urakkuzhy, Pulmedu, Uppupara, Pampa, and Attathode. Quite a few were seen singing bhajans all through the day. Many were preparing food, disregarding the Forest Department’s plea not to cook food in the open space in the forests for fear of fire outbreaks. Chief priest (Tantri) Kandararu Maheswararu Mohanararu told The Hindu that the auspicious Makarasankrama puja would be performed at the Ayyappa temple at 1.27 p.m. on Friday.
The procession carrying the sacred jewellery, Thiruvabharanam, that set off from Pandalam on Wednesday afternoon will reach the Sannidhanam by 6.30 p.m. on Friday. The Tantri, assisted by the Melsanthi, will decorate the presiding deity with the Thiruvabharanam prior to the deeparadhana.
The Makaravilakku deeparadhana at Ponnambalamedu will be performed soon after the deeparadhana at the Ayyappa temple. According to Travancore Devaswom Board sources, a senior priest attached to the board will perform the deeparadhana at Ponnambalamedu on Friday evening. Prayar Gopalakrishnan, TDB president; Ajay Tharayil, board member; C.P. Ramaraja Prema Prasad, Devaswom Commissioner; K. Babu, Special Commissioner appointed by the Kerala High Court;, and K. Padmakumar, Additional Director General of Police; are camping at Sabarimala.
