Sabarimala on Monday witnessed an overwhelming influx of devotees as the sacred hill shrine opened its doors for the first day of the annual Mandalam–Makaravilakku pilgrimage season. The day coincided with the beginning of the Malayalam month of Vrichikam, considered highly auspicious by Lord Ayyappa devotees.
From the early hours of dawn, hundreds of pilgrims flocked to the revered Lord Ayyappa Temple, their chants of ‘Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa’ echoing through the hill forests. Long queues formed along the traditional trekking paths, with devotees—many clad in black or blue—making the arduous climb with the customary irumudi kettu atop their heads.
The Mandalam season, which lasts 41 days, will culminate in the grand Makaravilakku festival, drawing millions of devotees from across the country and abroad. The temple was opened in the presence of ‘tantri’ (head priest) Kantararu Mahesh Mohanaru, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) said in a statement.
From early morning itself, there was a heavy flow of pilgrims arriving for darshan, TDB officials said. Devaswom Board Secretary P N Ganeswaran Potti, Sabarimala Executive Officer O.G. Biju, and others were present when the shrine was opened, it said. When the temple opened at 3 am, long queues of devotees seeking darshan stretched across the ‘nadapandal’ (walkway) and ‘sopanam’ (sacred steps.)