The Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala will be opened on November 11 afternoon for the ritualistic Kumbhabhishekom ceremony to be held at the shrines dedicated to Lord Ganapati, Nagaraja and Malikapuram Devi Temple on November 13.
According to the Travancore Devaswom Board sources at Sabarimala, the Kumbhabhishekom will be a sequel to the gold-covering work on the Malikappuram Devi Temple as well as the shrines dedicated to Nagaraja and Ganapati.
The gold-covering work is being sponsored by the Chennai-based Kumaran Silks as an offering to the presiding deity. The gold-covering work on the four outer walls of the three shrines have already been completed and the covering of roof with gold foils was fast progressing for the Kumbhabhishekom on November 13, sources said.
An auspicious Kalasabhishekom will also be performed at the Lord Ayyappa Temple on November 13.
The temple tantri, Kandararu Maheswararu, assisted by Melsanthi, N. Vishnu Namboodiri, will perform the Kumbhabhishekom that begins at 10 am.
The Ayyappa Temple will be opened on November 11 afternoon and the rituals will be performed that evening and on November 12.
The golden cupolas (Thazhikakkudom) will be installed atop the shrines prior to the Kumbhabhishekom.
The Ayyappa Temple will be closed later in the evening to reopen on November 15 afternoon for the 41-day annual Mandalam festival that begins on November 16.
