Sabarimala continued to witness rush of devotees as hundreds of devotees from different parts of South India undertook their pilgrimage to the Ayyappa shrine, braving the downpour in the forests, on Friday too.
Travancore Devaswom Board president Prayar Gopalakrishnan and Devaswom Commissioner C.P. Ramaraja Prema Prasad are camping at the hillock.
Tantri Kandararu Maheswararu Mohanararu, assisted by Melsanthi E.S. Sankaran Namboodiri, performed the Kalabhapuja at the Namaskara Mandapam in the forenoon.
The Brahmakalasom carrying the kalabhom, specially prepared sandal paste, was taken out in a procession with the accompaniment of the Marappani and other temple percussion to the sanctum sanctorum for performing the ‘abhishekom’ to the presiding deity prior to the Utchapuja. Aswathi Tirunal Gouri Lakshmi Bai of the Kowdiar Palace in Thiruvananthapuram will release the book Tatwamasi written by the Melsanthi on the temple premises on Saturday. The temple will be closed after Athazhapuja on Sunday evening.
