Mandalam–Makaravilakku Latest English news | Mandalam–Makaravilakku Online News in English at Lokmattimes.com

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.)

Home

City

Latest News

Cricket

LT Premium

National

International

Maharashtra

Opinions

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Nagpur

Entertainment

Photos

Business

Technology

Sports

Lifestyle

Social Viral

Lokmat Games

Health

BMC Election 2026

Mumbai Air Pollution

Maharashtra Local Body Elections

Stock Market News

Maharashtra News

Mumbai Local

Mandalam–Makaravilakku, NewsFOLLOW

Mandalam–makaravilakku, Latest News

National :Sabarimala Witnesses Heavy Rush on First Day of Annual Pilgrimage Season

Sabarimala on Monday witnessed an overwhelming influx of devotees as the sacred hill shrine opened its doors for the ... ...