Mandala puja held at Sabarimala, over 32.5 lakh pilgrims visit this season

Thousands of devotees offered prayers at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple on Thursday as the auspicious mandala puja was performed at the hill shrine. This marked the culmination of the 41-day-long first leg of the annual pilgrimage season.

The mandala puja was conducted in a deeply devotional atmosphere between noon and 12.30 pm after the idol of Lord Ayyappa, the principal deity, was adorned with the "thanka anki," the sacred golden attire brought to the sannidhanam (temple complex) in a ceremonial procession on Wednesday evening.

The temple will close for the night with the recitation of 'Harivarasanam,' temple authorities said.

They added that the Sabarimala temple will reopen at 5 pm on December 30 for the makaravilakku festival, which will conclude on January 14.

The rituals were led by the temple's head priest, Kandararu Rajeevaru, who adorned the idol with the sacred attire.

Thousands of pilgrims from Kerala and other states, who waited in queues for hours in and around the sannidhanam, attended the ceremonies.

Prominent officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board were also present near the sanctum sanctorum.

According to officials of the TDB, the apex temple body that manages the shrine, as of Wednesday, 32.5 lakh pilgrims had visited the shrine, an increase of 4.07 lakh compared to the same period last year.

In 2023, 28.42 lakh devotees visited the shrine during this period.

Spot bookings were limited to 5,000 on December 25 and 26 as part of the arrangements for mandala puja. However, darshan was ensured for all devotees who arrived at Sabarimala, TDB officials said.

On Wednesday, when the 'thanka anki' procession reached the sannidhanam, over 62,000 devotees had darshan, they said.

By noon on Thursday, nearly 20,000 devotees visited the hill shrine through virtual queue and spot booking facilities before the temple closed, they added.