The two-month annual pilgrimage to the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala began on the first day in the Malayalam month of Vrischikom on Thursday.
The sacred grove of Lord Ayyappa, situated in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, witnessed heavy rush as hundreds of devotees undertook the pilgrimage to the forest shrine on the first day of the Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season.
The new head priest (Melsanthi) A.V. Unnikrishnan Namboodiri opened the sanctum sanctorum at 4 a.m. and high-pitched Swamiyei, Saranam Ayyappa chants rent the air at the Sannidhanam. Bonded by devotion for Ayyappa, the pilgrims waited for hours together in long queues to have a glimpse of the deity.
Devotees had to wait inside the iron barricades at the Valiyanadappanthal and on the Saramkuthy path for long to reach the temple Sopanam. Each pilgrim was diverted through door-framed metal detectors kept at the Valiyanadappanthal and at the entry point on the northern side of the temple as part of the security arrangements.
The rituals began with the chief priest (Tantri) Kandararu Maheshwararu Mohanararu performing Ashtadravya Maha Ganapati Homom. Both the Tantri and the Melsanthi distributed Prasadom (sandal paste with flowers offered to the deity) to the devotees at the Sopanam after Ashtabhishekom was performed at the temple.
Neyyabhishekom, the ritualistic pouring of ghee over the Ayyappa idol which the devotees consider an important offering to the deity, began at 5 a.m.
Kadakampally Surendran, Devaswom Minister; A.Padmakumar, Travancore Devaswom Board president; K.P. Sankaradas and K. Raghavan, board members; C.P. Ramaraja Prema Prasad, Devaswom Commissioner; V.Sankaran Potti, Chief Engineer; M.Manoj, Special Commissioner appointed by the Kerala High Court; and Prayar Gopalakrishnan, former TDB president; were among those who offered prayers at the temple.
Mandalapuja
The Mandalapuja, marking the culmination of the 41-day Mandalam pilgrimage, will be held along with Utchapuja on December 26.
